The Gift
by beeftony
Summary: Several years ago, Ron Stoppable was given a gift. But instead of accepting it, he thought of it as a curse, using it only when he absolutely had to. Then came a man who would show him just how much of a blessing his gift really was. UNDER REVISION
1. Prologue

_Kim Possible is owned by Disney. I own this work of fiction. I make no profit from this._

**The Gift  
**a _Kim Possible_ fanfiction  
by Jonathan Harrison  
aka beeftony

**Prologue**

Monkey Fist grunted as he delivered a vicious roundhouse in the direction of Ron's head. "I grow tired of this, Ron Stoppable."

Ron ducked under the kick—or was it a punch?—and fell to the ground where he spun around on his back in an attempt to sweep his opponent's legs.

Agile as ever, the aspiring Monkey King leapt over the attack with ease and gripped the tree above him, flipping up onto the branch and giving himself the advantage of height.

Stoppable had improved greatly since their last encounter, however, and jumped in the air, kicking off of the tree and propelling himself towards another, where he repeated the process until he was on the same level as the monkey man.

Using his mutated feet to keep him firmly rooted to the branch, Monkey fist struck out with a jab, catching Ron by surprise and causing him to stumble a bit. He quickly regained his balance, however, and instead of retaliating with a punch or kick, he decided to taunt his opponent.

"Y'know, I'll never get over the fact that you holding onto the tree like that is just SICK AND WRONG!"

Monkey Fist growled and swiped at Ron, who ducked under the attack and grabbed the branch with his hands. "And _I_ will never understand why the subject of monkeys disturbs you so, Stoppable."

"It doesn't," Ron admitted as he swung under the branch to avoid a low kick from Monkey Fist, using his momentum to come all the way around the branch and launch an inverted whirlwind kick at his opponent's face. He then used the super strength afforded to him by his mystical monkey power to propel himself up to another branch about twenty feet above. "It's just that you're _so_ into it that it really weirds me out!"

The monkey master used a combination of Stoppable's technique and his own powerful thighs to leap high in the air and land on the same branch as his opponent, adopting the same defensive pose as before. "A lot of things 'weird you out,'" he quipped, attempting a leg sweep that forced Ron to jump and grab the branch above. "You're just a very paranoid person."

"Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean there's not somebody out to get me!" Ron protested. As Monkey Fist attempted to grab his feet and drag him down, he said, "Case in point."

"You are _immensely_ frustrating, Ron Stoppable," Monkey Fist snarled as he grabbed one of the blonde's ankles. His grip was defeated by Ron's other foot, causing him to stumble and lose his balance.

Swinging around the branch like a gymnast, Ron launched himself feet first into his opponent's chest, knocking Monkey Fist from his perch and launching them both into freefall.

Monkey Fist used his hands and feet to grab onto the various vines that descended from the foliage, slowing his fall. Ron did the same and pumped his legs back and forth to gather momentum. Now barreling towards his opponent, Stoppable shaped his body like an "L" and kicked the monkey master square in the gut. This succeeded in launching both combatants into freefall once again.

"Oh this is so not good," Ron commented as he saw the ground rushing up to meet them.

"You were always _such_ a buffoon," Monkey Fist chided. "Hang on."

Now reaching out for Ron, Monkey Fist grabbed his foe by the hand and grabbed a low-hanging branch just meters above the ground, transferring the momentum of his fall into a rotating swing that ended up with both of them on the branch.

Ron was stunned. "Why'd you do that?"

Monkey Fist just glared at him. "You idiot. You really _don't get it_, do you?"

"Uh... no?" the boy replied honestly, though not a little uneasily.

"Do you remember the first time we fought?" the monkey master began, relaxing his pose. "Oh, you were so afraid then, so easily defeated. But you were smarter than I expected. You _took_ the mystical monkey power; exposed yourself to something you hated and still don't want."

"Well, I'm getting used to it," Ron spoke up.

"Getting used to it?!" Monkey Fist gasped, as though the very thought offended him. "You fool! Anyone else would have _embraced_ that power! _Used_ it! Not let it fester inside them and used it only when they had no other choice! Don't you get it? Now that you have the power, it is your_only_ choice!"

By this time Ron had leaned back against the trunk of the ancient tree, counting on it to support his weight so that he could more easily listen to his foe's ranting. Monkey Fist continued.

"You have no IDEA what kind of power you have! You are a GOD! And yet you choose to be a child!"

"Hey, it's just who I am," Ron said defensively. "I'm not cut out for all this monkey magic stuff."

That comment caused Monkey Fist to roar with fury, rushing forward and grabbing Stoppable by the shoulders and pushing them both off of the branch. Ron landed hard on his back in the thankfully soft underbrush of the jungle, his opponent's body on top of his.

"To say that you are not worthy of your abilities and reject your own power is an insult to me and everyone who believes in you!" Monkey Fist raged. "But most of all it is a LIE!"

"Huh?"

Monkey Fist growled and smacked Ron across the face, trying to force the boy to see reason. "I've seen the way you are around your girlfriend, Kim Possible. You cast doubt on your abilities and consciously hold yourself back when you could easily decimate entire armies with the power you possess! Only when you are away from her can you truly achieve your full potential!"

The monkey master had a look of insanity in his eyes, but it was also one of passion. "You have been given a GIFT, Ron Stoppable. _Use_ it! Stop making me regret the decision not to kill you when I had the chance!"

Ron quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

Monkey Fist smirked. "You don't think I could have easily dispatched you even after you gained the power? Like I told you, mystical monkey power or not, you are no match for a master of Tai Sheng Pek Kwar! I could have snapped you like a twig if I wanted to! But I saw that you had a gift; you were able to use the power in ways I could only begin to imagine. As much as I wanted the power for myself, I was curious to see just how far it could be utilized."

"So you kept me alive because I had potential?"

"Precisely."

For the first time in his life, Ron Stoppable was speechless. Usually it was impossible just to get him to shut up. Now, he found himself unable to utter a word.

"But now I see that was a mistake," Monkey Fist continued. "You will never embrace your gift as I'd hoped you would. I should kill you right now and spare myself the misery of watching you make a mockery of everything I have worked so hard to achieve." He drew back his fist to strike the final blow.

"No, wait!" Ron screamed, panicking as was his nature. "Don't kill me!"

"And why shouldn't I?" the monkey man sneered, a look of madness in his eyes.

"You're right! I haven't been using my gift to its fullest potential! But I'm getting better!" Ron was hyperventilating now, petrified with fear. He would do anything just to get out of this situation.

"'Better' isn't good enough, Stoppable! You must _give_ yourself to the power! Let it CONSUME you! It is the only way you can prove yourself worthy and stop me from killing you right now!"

"Alright! Alright!" Ron screamed. "Just don't kill me!" He started to cry.

Monkey Fist looked down on the boy with disgust. "Coward," he said disapprovingly. "I won't kill you. But I am going to hold you to your promise." He released his hold on Ron, standing up and turning his back to the boy. "Until next time."

With that he disappeared into the trees, leaving a trembling Ron to process what the hell had just happened.


	2. Potential Boy

**Chapter 1  
**Potential Boy

Ron Stoppable had never been cut out for school. Perhaps it was his nonconformist tendencies that caused him to stick out like a clown in Congress, or maybe it was because he preferred to do so little actual work that his lab partners always cursed their luck and begged on their hands and knees to be traded. Maybe it was because he simply didn't absorb information that way. At any rate, Ron and school were never a good combination.

Not that he was stupid by any means; he just didn't seem to care all that much about his grades. Excellence didn't seem to matter to the boy who had gotten to where he was in life by riding other peoples' coattails. He didn't feel the need to impress anybody.

Well, there was one person.

Looking over to his right from where he sat in homeroom, Ron spied the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on: Kimberly Anne Possible. His best friend since the age of four, Kim had always been the one that Ron could count on, and vice versa. They were perfect complements; where Ron was lazy, Kim had enough drive to carry him along with her. While he was the loser, the outcast of high school society, she was the girl who could do anything, including befriend someone so odd.

And now she was his. The junior prom had been a life-changing experience for the both of them. They had kissed; everything after that was a blur. The summer had gone by far too quickly, and now the school year had started again. They were seniors.

It was still hard for Ron to believe that he'd made it this far. If it hadn't been for Kim's coaching, he'd never have made it through _first_ grade. And now here he was about to graduate at the end of the year. There was a certain satisfaction to be gained from that.

And yet, there was something that nagged at him. Something that felt the need to remind him what would happen once the year was over….

…Something that was interrupted when the door to the room opened with a crash and the 6'3, broad-shouldered frame of Mr. Steve Barkin thundered inside, slamming the door behind him. "ALRIGHT PEOPLE, LISTEN UP!" he bellowed as usual. The phrase was so commonplace, in fact, that none of the students even blinked. This only seemed to make him angrier, however. Mr. Barkin had always thrived on the fear of his students.

"Now the school board has _demanded_ that we start off homeroom this year with a little 'inspirational message.'" He said that last part with air quotes and a distinctly mocking voice. "In other words, I'm supposed to talk to you kids about potential. SO LISTEN UP!" It appeared that Barkin's days as a Drill Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps had left a distinct impression on his teaching style. It sort of reminded Ron of that game they played on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" in which someone's past job affected their present one to a ridiculous degree.

Barkin pulled out a piece of paper from the breast pocket of his sport coat and held it up to his face. "I'm supposed to start by congratulating you maggots on making it to your final year of high school. Give yourselves a round of applause." One of the students started to clap. "THAT WAS A RHETORICAL STATEMENT!" he bellowed, and the clapping stopped.

"I thought those were rhetorical questions," Ron whispered to Kim, who wisely stayed quiet.

"STOPPABLE! Something you'd like to share with the class?!" Barkin shouted.

The ever tactless Ron Stoppable replied, "I said I thought those were rhetorical questions."

"THIS ISN'T ENGLISH CLASS!" the not-so-gentle giant yelled. "Now if you'll let me finish…." He cast a withering glare over the entire classroom, who all cowered in their seats. Barkin smiled inwardly. He hadn't lost his touch. "Good," he continued. "Now as I was saying, you've all shown incredible dedication by getting this far." He looked at Ron again. "Except you, Stoppable!"

"Wha? What'd I do?" Ron whined. Barkin always singled him out like this. He was getting tired of it.

"Everyone here knows the only reason you made it this far is because of Possible over there," Mr. Barkin replied, indicating Kim. "You don't have the motivation to do it on your own!"

Kim was appalled. "Mr. Barkin, I have to say, I don't like—"

"Don't like what, Possible?" the titanic teacher questioned, leaning over her desk and causing her to shrink. "That you always have to drag him around when he could be walking by your side? That he's the reason you always come this close to failing your science project?" He squeezed his fingers together for emphasis. "That he's such an underachiever that he's starting to affect _your_ performance?"

Kim didn't have an answer to that. She just sat there silently.

Seeing Mr. Barkin intimidate his girlfriend like that filled Ron with righteous indignation. "I think what my girlfriend was _trying _to say before you interrupted her was that you're probably violating the teacher's guidelines by singling out individual students instead of addressing the whole class," he declared with newfound confidence.

That was the thing about Ron; no matter how non-confrontational he was otherwise, when somebody threatened Kim, all bets were off. He glared at Mr. Barkin with grim determination. "In fact," he continued, "I may have to report you to the school board for saying such personal things to one of your best students."

"You can't be serious," Barkin replied with a laugh, but also with a little bit of fear in his voice. His mother was on the school board. Chairwoman, in fact.

"Note serious face," Ron said firmly, pointing towards his visage.

Barkin's face turned red and his teeth ground together so tightly they threatened to crack. If one looked closely, there was a bit of cartoon steam coming from his ears as he clenched his hands in white-knuckled fists at his sides. But eventually he relented. Stoppable was right. He shouldn't have made it so personal. His previous demeanor returned.

"Thank you for… correcting me, Stoppable," he said in hopes that word of this would never reach his mother. "Now then, let's continue."

* * *

"That was amazing, Ron," Kim complimented as they exited the classroom, moving closer to her boyfriend and pressing up against his side as she marveled at his display of confidence. 

Ron gave a nervous chuckle. "Like you would say, KP, no big."

"Barkin shouldn't have done that to you," Kim insisted. "You were right to stand up to him. That took guts."

"Yeah, well, I guess I just got a little tired of him always doing that to me," Stoppable replied as he scowled at nobody in particular. "I mean, I gave him a funny look in ninth grade, and suddenly he's all over me like white rice on a paper plate in a snowstorm!" He punctuated his rant by throwing his arms in the air, forcing Kim off of him. He looked at her seriously. "And nobody does that to you, KP. Nobody."

"That's sweet," Kim cooed, closing the distance between them once again and pressing Ron up against a locker. "In fact, I think I may just have a hero's reward for you."

"A booyah," Ron said with half-lidded eyes and leaned in.

Having heard the last two comments, a pink blur shot from Ron's pocket and scampered up the boy's chest, grabbing both humans' chins and forcing them apart. "Blech! No kissy face!" the creature squeaked.

Kim giggled and grabbed the little fella. "Oh come on, Rufus. It was just a quick peck. Not like we were gonna make out in the halls or anything."

"Kissing! Bleh!" Rufus said before blowing a raspberry to show his disgust. Kim handed the animal back to Ron.

"What am I gonna do with you, little buddy?" the blonde chided as they began to walk again. "You're spoiling all my action." Rather than risk another flurry of spit, Ron stuffed the naked mole rat back in his pocket.

Kim chuckled. "What a great start to senior year, huh?"

"Yeah, and it's not even lunch yet," Stoppable complained before his face lit up. "Hey," he said excitedly. "We're seniors! That means we get to sit at the senior table!"

"Yum! Senior table!" Rufus squeaked, emerging from Ron's pocket with a bib and tiny silverware that he had somehow managed to acquire. Kim knew, however, that Ron had gotten those specially made for his disturbingly phallic, but otherwise very nice pet. If only he would spend that much money on her….

She pushed that thought to the side and focused on the positive. "So this is our last year, huh? Have you thought about where you're going to college yet?"

"Have _you_?" Ron shot back.

"Already filling out applications," Kim replied nonchalantly. "I've got a really good offer from a college in Hong Kong."

"Hong Kong?!" Ron balked, stopping completely. "Why would you wanna go there?"

"I think it'd be exciting," the redhead answered. "Why? Where were you thinking about going?"

Ron thought about that for a minute. "I don't know, I was thinking I'd just stay here in Middleton, maybe go to the Community College. It's all I'd be able to get into anyway with my grades and all."

"Don't say that," Kim encouraged, wrapping her arm around him to show her support. "I'm sure you can do better this year."

"Not with Barkin treating me like that I can't!" the blonde retorted. "He's gonna be hella pissed once he figures out what happened!"

"'Hella pissed?'" Kim challenged. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What else?" Ron grumbled. "Detention."

"C'mon," his girlfriend prodded. "It's not gonna be that bad. We've got all new teachers this year. They can't _all_ be gone."

* * *

"During the… latest faculty meeting, an experiment from the science lab leaked over into the meeting room and incapacitated all of the first year teachers," Barkin announced as he stood at the front of Kim and Ron's next class. "The veterans among us, having built up an immunity to that sort of thing, will be covering their classes. I will be taking this one." 

"Then again…." Kim said, mostly to herself.

"Aw man!" was all Ron could think to say.

"Oh come on," the redhead said hopefully. "He can't have taken over _all_ our classes."

* * *

"ALRIGHT PEOPLE, LISTEN UP!" 

"I stand corrected yet again," Kim commented. "But he can't have—"

"Quit jinxing it!" Ron shouted desperately.

"STOPPABLE! DETENTION!"

"Aw man…."

* * *

Now it was time for lunch. Ron held his head up high as the sea of freshmen parted before them. Kim had locked arms with him, and together they strode out to the ultimate in high school dining. 

"We finally get to sit at the senior table," Ron said dreamily as they entered the cafeteria. "This is the best day ever…."

"Uh, Ron…" Kim said uneasily.

"What?"

Kim just pointed.

"ALRIGHT PEOPLE, LISTEN UP!"

"This is the worst day ever," Ron said as he hung his head dejectedly. He had followed Kim's line of sight to where the senior table used to be. In its place was caution tape and an empty space of tile.

"Now I hate to say this," Mr. Barkin continued, "But due to the medical expenses incurred by the new regulation that provides free insurance to all first year teachers, we've cancelled the senior lunch budget."

"What?" Ron panicked. "But that means we're back to…." He and Kim looked over to the cafeteria lady, who smiled wickedly as she dumped a barrel full of mystery meat. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

"STOPPABLE! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Barkin roared.

"But that's not fair!" the blonde declared.

"Life's not fair, Stoppable," Barkin replied with his eyes closed and hands behind his back as he said what to him were words of infinite wisdom. "Adversity is what prepares us."

"For what?" Ron asked.

"More adversity."

"Aw man…."

"DEAL WITH IT, STOPPABLE!" Barkin thundered before stomping off.

"This tanks," Ron pouted as Kim rejoined him.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh, tanks," Rufus squeaked in agreement.

Kim giggled and placed her arm around Ron. "Come on, you guys. It's so not the drama."

Ron grumbled something in response, but before Kim could ask him to repeat it….

"Hey, you two!"

Possible smiled. "Monique!" The redhead detached herself from Ron and rushed forward to meet her best female friend. "How've you been?"

"Girl, you just saw me last week," the dark-skinned beauty pointed out. "Cease with the drama."

Kim laughed and released her. "Sorry, it's just you're the first friendly face I've seen all day."

"What about me?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"I think you and I are a bit more than 'friends.'" Kim replied saucily as she pressed up against his side and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Monique smiled. "C'mon, let's go sit down," Possible suggested.

After finding a table worthy to replace the senior table, and after shooing away a group of freshmen from said table, the newly reunited group sat down.

"So how's your day been?" Monique inquired.

"Mr. Barkin's still out to get me," Ron muttered as he glared at the lunch tray left behind by the table's previous occupants. "And now the senior table's gone. There's only one thing that could possibly make this day worse."

"Well, if it isn't the mod squad!" a familiar, bitchy voice cried out.

"Okay, _now_ nothing could make it worse," Ron lamented as he buried his face in his hands.

Bonnie Rockwaller, self-proclaimed leader of the popular kids, sauntered up to the table with a wicked smirk on her face. "So, K, still dating the froob here?"

Kim bristled. There was something about that girl, something so incredibly irritating, that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up whenever she was near her. They had been high school rivals ever since Kim had performed a routine that Bonnie had specifically designed to be impossible. But nothing was impossible for Kim Possible. That fact apparently drove Bonnie crazy.

"His _name_ is _Ron_," Possible growled through clenched teeth.

"Whatever," Bonnie retorted flippantly, causing the tension inside Kim to rise to mountainous peaks. She was on the verge of exploding with anger.

"Hush, Bon-Bon," Monique snapped, using the nickname that the cheerleader so hated for extra emphasis. "This school's had enough of your holier-than-thou shtick. It's getting old."

Bonnie scoffed and replied, "I wouldn't be talking about 'old' if I were wearing that grandmother's outfit."

Monique gasped indignantly. "Hey, this look is coming back!"

"Riiiiiiight."

"Girl, you are ASKIN' for a beat-down!" Monique snarled as she clenched her hands into fists. She tried to stand up to drive her threat home, but Kim stopped her.

"She's not worth it, Mon," Kim reasoned.

Bonnie smirked. "You know what? Neither are you. Later, K." She turned on her heels and strode away, chin held high. Kim simmered with anger.

"I hate her _so much_," she growled. "Why won't she just get a clue?"

"I offered to give her a little smack down," Mon reminded her.

Kim sighed. "That wouldn't solve anything, though. She's just high school evil."

"Whereas people like Drakken and Shego are hardcore evil," Monique offered.

Possible nodded. "Still, I think the most evil villain we've come across is Monkey Fist."

"Oh, as if this day wasn't bad enough already!" Ron whined. "Now you've gotta bring up monkeys!"

"Why are you so afraid of them anyway?" Monique inquired.

"Mon, you know the Wannaweep story," Kim reminded her.

"Yeah, but I don't get why you're _still_ so caught up in it," the ebony girl replied, turning back to Ron. "I remember seein' you and that little monkey ninja that wore Kim's green dress. You had a great time! And what about Frederick?"

"Spending a year alone on a space station caused him to go insane," Ron muttered grimly, looking away. "Ever been bit by a crazy monkey?"

Monique shook her head. "Okay, but that's just one monkey out of thousands. There's no way you're still afraid."

"I'm not," Stoppable conceded. "But what that man has done to himself is just SICK AND WRONG!" The extreme volume of that last statement caused all the freshmen to turn their heads. Everyone else, having grown accustomed to Ron Stoppable's outbursts, didn't even send a glance his way.

"I'll give you that," Monique replied. "But you have seriously got to stop freakin' out about this! It's getting older than the mystery meat!"

"_Nothing_ is older than the mystery meat," Ron insisted.

"He's got you there," Kim chimed in.

Monique gripped the sides of her head. "Rrrrgh, fine! Just quit complainin' about it in front of me! I'm sick of hearing it!"

"Done," Ron agreed.

The next few moments were filled with awkward silence. Ron took this time to study the mystery meat that had been sitting in front of him. It seemed like the same old concoction, but there was something different about it. He picked up a fork and stirred the seemingly extraterrestrial substance, hoping to discover what was different about it.

His answer came when bubbles started to form on the surface of the gravy. "Huh. Weird…" he commented. It never bubbled before….

"BOOM!" Suddenly the tray in front of him erupted like a volcano, sending chunks of gravy and meat flying around the cafeteria. His table was hit with the brunt of it, and Kim and Monique both covered their faces with their arms in a desperate attempt to shield themselves. Ron, however, just sat there stoically and let himself be covered in the substance.

"Perfect," he deadpanned as gravy continued to drip from the ceiling and land on his head. "Just perfect."

* * *

The day only got worse from there. Ron was ready to swear on his grandfather's grave that Mr. Barkin had chosen all of his classes on purpose. The fact that Kim was not in this one only made it worse. 

"Ms. Flanner here," Barkin spoke up as calmly as he could manage, indicating Justine standing beside him, "discovered that _someone_ put small traces of nitroglycerine in one of the lunch trays. This accounts for why it exploded when _violently disturbed_." He glared at Ron as he said those last two words.

"That lunch tray wasn't even mine!" Ron exclaimed. "How was I supposed to know?"

"The whole school knows of your… disdain for the mystery meat, Stoppable," Mr. Barkin replied. Again, his voice was eerily calm. That was how the students could really tell he was angry. Barkin's normal tone put a megaphone to shame, but when he got truly angry, he became very, very calm, as though he was going to snap at any second. It was not knowing when the thunder was coming that kept the students on edge.

"Everyone hates the mystery meat!" Ron pointed out. "I swear, that stuff's always the first batch that was ever made! I wasn't even in science class today! Besides, it got all over me! Why would I do that to myself?"

"Because your pranks _always _backfire," Bonnie spoke up from the back of the room.

"Ms. Rockwaller has a point, Stoppable," Barkin said. "You'll spend your detention cleaning up the cafeteria."

"This doesn't have anything to do with what I said to you this morning, does it? 'Cause if it does I'm sorry!"

Mr. Barkin let out a low chuckle and replied, "No, Stoppable, it doesn't have anything to do with your… admittedly correct words to me this morning. It has EVERYTHING to do with the fact that YOU PUT MYSTERY MEAT GRAVY ON THE CAFETERIA CEILING!"

Ron breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. Barkin had finally snapped, and everything was as usual. The choice words he had given Barkin earlier had been nagging at him the entire day. Now he found out that he was just in the usual kind of trouble. He could have cared less about the lesson that lasted the next hour. All that mattered was that he had told off his teacher this morning and gotten away with it. And it felt good.

* * *

Cheer practice was a sacred ritual in Kim's life. It was her happy time; a time where she could just be a normal girl. A time where the world wasn't counting on her to save it. It was basically the only break she got from her otherwise hectic life fighting villains and saving the world from total destruction. Which was why it irked her so when it was interrupted by someone she never wanted to see again. 

She had just landed a perfect jump onto the top of the pyramid when an all-too-familiar voice called out to her: "Possible-san!"

The voice and the experiences associated with it were enough to cause Kim to lose her balance and send the pyramid crashing to the floor. The source of the voice strolled over casually as though Kim hadn't made a complete and utter fool of herself. "Yori," Possible said uneasily as the Asian girl helped her to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if you could help me to find Stoppable-san," Yori answered sweetly. "He is not in the normal detention room."

Kim felt something spark within her when she heard Yori mention her boyfriend's name. Something she'd felt the last time she'd seen the ninja. It was a part of her that didn't want Yori anywhere near her Ron. Her rational side won out though, and she decided to give the girl a chance to explain herself. "I think he said he had to clean the cafeteria because of the mess he made earlier. Why do you need him?"

"Stoppable-san is needed on an emergency mission from Yamanouchi," Yori replied. "You were requested as well."

"I was?" Kim balked. "Why?"

"Perhaps it is best if we discuss this in private," Yori suggested.

Kim nodded and turned back to the rest of her squad, who lay squirming on the floor. "Take five, girls." A low, unanimous moan was the squad's response. Kim cringed and walked out of the gym with Yori.

"Monkey Fist and Shego-san have formed a partnership," the raven-haired ninja said now that they were a safe distance away from prying ears. "As Shego-san is your nemesis, it makes sense for you to accompany us."

"Drakken's my nemesis," Kim corrected. "Shego's more of a rival."

"At any rate," Yori continued, "You are the only one with the skills to defeat her single-handedly. Even I cannot hope to match your performance against her."

"Don't say that," Kim insisted. "You're one of the best fighters I—" She was cut off when Yori lifted up the sleeve of her outfit to reveal four scratch marks that raked across her forearm. "Oh."

"Do not concern yourself," the dark-haired girl said as she gracefully covered the wound with her sleeve. "My temper got the better of me. I assure you she received just as bad, though she has probably healed by now."

Kim, never having known Yori to have _any_ sort of temper, had to ask: "What did she say?"

Yori sighed. "Shego-san found out about my… attraction to Stoppable-san. She taunted me to the point where I attacked her without thinking. I shamed myself because I could not stand anyone knowing about it." She looked at Kim. "I am aware that you and Stoppable-san are dating now. And I have made peace with it. I cannot allow personal issues to affect my training."

"Well that's… er… very noble of you," Kim tried to encourage. They were nearing the cafeteria. "So what are they up to now?"

"I do not know," Yori admitted. "But it cannot be good."

"True," Kim agreed as she pushed open the double doors to the cafeteria where she found Ron jumping up and down on the table with a rag, trying to reach the ceiling. It had apparently not occurred to him that there was a mop sitting only a few yards away. Of course, it could also have been that Mr. Barkin was standing next to the same mop, yelling out orders.

Kim smiled. Ron was a goof, but he was _her_ goof. She was still staring at him when she noticed Yori walk over to Mr. Barkin. '_This can't be good,'_ she thought.

"C'mon, Stoppable, that ceiling's not gonna clean itself! Put some muscle into it!" the hulk of a man shouted. He noticed Yori. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

Getting right to the heart of the matter, Yori replied, "Stoppable-san is required on a mission of great importance. I am afraid I will have to take him there immediately."

"You didn't answer my question," Barkin said menacingly, towering over the girl, who didn't seem at all intimidated. This threw him off a bit, but he continued to glare.

"Who I am is not important," the ninja said politely. "What matters is that Stoppable-san is needed for something far more important than cleaning cafeteria ceilings."

"What do you want with him?" the goliath asked in what to him was a perfectly reasonable tone.

Yori smirked. "That I cannot tell you."

"Then I see no reason why I should let _my student_ go with a complete stranger on something she won't tell me about," Barkin replied. He leaned in closer, trying to intimidate the girl, but she stood her ground. "He's not going anywhere until that ceiling," he pointed, "is clean."

"So be it," Yori said. With a snap of her fingers, a ninja appeared as if from nowhere, coming through the wall with a rag and spray bottle. Leaping up on the ceiling, the black-garbed fellow attached himself there through some sort of mystic ability, where he proceeded to clean the mystery meat stain in a matter of seconds. With that, he left just as quietly as he came. Mr. Barkin stared wide-eyed at it all, too shocked to move. His jaws flapped up and down uselessly as he tried to form words, but none came.

Yori smiled sweetly and ambled over to the similarly slack-jawed Ron, who straightened up with her touch and walked with her towards Kim. Yori wore a wide smirk the entire time.

Once they were outside the school, Kim's pocket started to beep. She reached down and pulled out a small phone-like device. "Go, Wade."

The slightly pudgy African American boy on the screen smiled. "I take it Yori gave you the news?"

Kim smirked. "Yeah. I gotta say, I never thought our respective arch-foes would team up."

"Makes sense when you think about it, though," Wade commented as he typed away on his keyboard. "They always have been the smartest of the bunch. GPS satellite imagery shows them somewhere over Cambodia."

"Cambodia?!" Ron shrieked. "No way!" he declared with a horizontal sweeping gesture, closing his eyes and leaning back to show his disgust. "I am _not_ about to sit between two smelly grunts again!"

"No need," Wade replied with a grin. "Yamanouchi's sending one of its helicopters."

"Eh, I've been in one of those before," Stoppable dismissed. "Even then I was squished. I'm always squished!"

"This one's different," the boy genius retorted. "It's a modified UH-60 Black Hawk, minus the miniguns. It's basically the troop transport equivalent of flying first class."

"Well, okay," Ron agreed. "But I want my bag of complementary peanuts!"

Kim rolled her eyes with a bemused expression and turned her attention back to her Kimmunicator. "Any more intel on what Monkey Fist and Shego are up to, Wade?"

The supergenius shook his head. "Sorry, Kim, not a clue. Monkey Fist is less obvious than Drakken. The only reason I was able to track Shego is because she gives off a unique energy signature. Everything Yamanouchi knows, you know. You'll just have to find out when you get there."

"Thanks Wade," Kim said, turning off the Kimmunicator and pocketing the device when she heard helicopter blades. She looked up to see a rope ladder dangling from a rather large helicopter with a full crew of ninjas.

"I thought Black Hawks didn't _have_ rope ladders," Ron commented, scratching his head.

"Wade said it was modified," Kim offered with a shrug. "Let's get in."

Ron simply shrugged and fell in line behind Kim as she ascended the ladder, trying very hard not to stare at her perfect bubble-butt.

As was usual, he failed.

* * *

"So, remind me again _why_ we're infiltrating an ancient monkey temple that you've already plundered?" Shego asked from the pilot's seat of her personal jet. 

"It's all about symbolism, Shego," Monkey Fist, who sat behind her, replied. "I've told you already of the temple's significance."

Shego rolled her eyes under the black visor that was part of her pilot's helmet. "Ugh, if you weren't the only other villain with half a brain, I'd have quit by now."

The former archaeologist merely chuckled. "You always were stylish with your cracks, Shego. But we Brits _invented_ wit."

"Just about the only good thing you ever came up with," Shego muttered.

"Not true," Monty shot back. "We also invented radar. Speaking of which, the temple should be popping up on yours soon."

Shego glanced down and saw the monkey man was indeed correct. She activated her HUD so that she could see the map in front of her and still focus on her landing. The temple was only a few thousand yards away, and she extended her flaps to lower her airspeed.

The jet was a VTOL craft, capable of taking off and landing like a helicopter, but could still fly like a normal jet. This was accomplished by thrust-vectoring nozzles that were largely controlled by a computer system that Shego never really bothered to understand the concept of, only the mechanics. She didn't need to know _how_ something worked, just which buttons to push and when. It was how she operated.

Coming up over a clearing near the temple, Shego extended her landing gear and adjusted the jets exactly 90 degrees so that they were perpendicular to the ground. She descended slowly, keeping a firm grip on the joystick to prevent the plane from spinning. The jet touched down perfectly.

The canopy slid back, and the two occupants removed their helmets, gracefully hopping out of the cockpit and onto the soft ground below. Shego produced a small remote from her pocket and pressed a button, which caused the entire jet to disappear.

"How _do_ you do that?" Monkey Fist wondered aloud.

"Active camouflage," Shego replied nonchalantly. "Dr. D was watching too many Bond movies, and he decided to add this capability to my jet. It's basically thousands of tiny little cameras that record what's happening on one side and project it on the other, making the whole thing invisible."

"Yet another thing begotten from Britain," the monkey master said smugly.

Shego smirked. "Let's just hope you're as good as the rest of your people. From what I've seen, Kimmie would give James Bond a run for his money."

"Not true," Monkey Fist insisted. "She doesn't have a license to kill."

"Or the ability," Shego remarked.

"That too."

They started to walk towards the temple. Shego spoke up again. "Y'know, I've always had my own theory about Bond."

"Do tell," Fiske deadpanned.

The pale thief ignored his sarcasm and continued. "You ever notice how he always leaves those situations in worse shape than he found them in? It's almost like they send him in as a diversion to get the bad guys' attention while the real, _competent_ officers come in after him and clean up his mess."

"Are you calling us untidy?" Monty interjected.

"N-no," Shego stammered, not sure why she was embarrassed. She quickly regained her composure. "What I mean is that all he ever manages to do is _stop _the doomsday device. He never sticks around afterward. That's kind of how Kimmie is."

"So you're saying that Stoppable isn't the only distraction," Monkey Fist concluded.

"Exactly," the green woman agreed. She smirked wickedly. "Wonder how Kimmie would feel if I told her that."

"The same way she always does with you," Fiske replied, "righteously indignant."

Shego scowled and stared straight ahead. "I don't know what her problem is. All I wanna do is my own thing, but somehow she's got it drilled in her head that what I'm doing is wrong."

"It _is_ illegal," the monkey master pointed out. "She hasn't yet learned to separate the two."

The pale woman nodded in agreement. "She's just so… simplistic! Like she never came across a moral dilemma in her _life!_"

"She sees the world in black and white," Fiske mused. "She doesn't understand you because you are gray. Everyone to her is one of two extremes: good and evil. She just can't comprehend the concept of middle ground."

"The only reason she thinks I'm evil is because I used to work for Drakken," Shego grumbled. "I mean, yeah, I pretty much told her that's what I was when I betrayed her after we teamed up to fight Aviarius, but I thought she'd be smarter than that! You have to break the rules to be free! I'm only evil because it lets me do whatever I want and not care about the consequences!" She added softly, "I don't see why she can't just understand that."

"Because she's just like you, Shego," Monty replied. "Once she determines how she feels about somebody, that's not likely to change."

Shego chuckled bitterly then frowned and dropped her head. "I just never thought she hated me."

Monkey Fist was wise enough to drop the conversation there. He hadn't exactly spent a lot of time with Shego, but from what Drakken had told him, she tended to get extremely touchy whenever she was remembering something that made her unhappy. He decided to focus on a more important matter. "We're here."

The pale thief quickly straightened up and adopted an expression that Monkey Fist could have sworn was almost exactly the same as Kim's trademark "mission mode" face. He found this highly curious. From what intel his monkey ninjas had gathered on her—he was a practical man and preferred to know exactly what other people in his line of work were up to—he could tell that this wasn't her normal attitude when she was about to face the Possible girl.

Usually when Shego was anticipating a fight with Kim, she was excited; almost carefree, not really minding that she always lost so long as she gave the girl trouble. Making Kim blush at a particularly suggestive remark also seemed to excite her. From what he could gather, Shego always looked forward to fighting Kim. It was the high point of her routine.

This time it was different, however. Now, instead of grinning like a predator, Shego wore a visible scowl on her face. Monkey Fist knew why, though; her last encounter with the redhead hadn't exactly been a pleasant one. It had been enough to drive her away from Drakken's employ and into his.

Not that he minded, though; Shego was the most competent underling one could ask for. She did her job and did it better than anyone else, yet she seemed content to remain the power behind the throne, letting others take all the credit, and all the blame. It was a combination so rare that only a fool would refuse her as a sidekick. And Monkey Fist was no fool.

"We'll set our trap just inside the temple entrance," the monkey master said, to which Shego nodded with an unusual degree of solemnity. "That is where you shall wait and confront Possible and the ninja girl. I will go after Stoppable myself."

With that, they walked in silence to the massive stone temple. A decisive showdown was about to take place, between two sets of rivals. The motivation of each was different, but their goal was the same: to eliminate Team Possible once and for all.

* * *

Ron couldn't sit still. He had always been a bit spastic, but today he was even more nervous than usual. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was about to face the only man who showed him enough respect to label him as his arch-foe. Or maybe it was the villain's somewhat disturbing theme that made him so on-edge. At any rate, he was nervous. 

Kim was similarly fidgety. She shifted uncomfortably in her helicopter seat, casting nervous glances to the other passengers. Her reasons for doing so were similar to Ron's; she hadn't seen Shego since the night of the prom over three months ago. She wondered… did Shego still remember that?

She wouldn't be surprised if she did. After all, getting kicked into a high voltage signal tower is not something one forgets very easily. The fact that Shego _survived_ such an ordeal made her rise up several notches in Kim's mind. It also relieved some of the guilt she felt over doing so, but the words she said that night would never cease to haunt her. And so she moved restlessly in her seat, excited and anxious at the same time. She was eager to find out how Shego felt about her now and if she had gotten over it, but she was also afraid of her reaction if she hadn't.

The only calm passenger was Yori, who sat with her eyes closed as she meditated. Glancing over at her, Ron idly wished he could be that calm; that confident. But this was enough to make the normally unshakeable Kim nervous, so what chance did he have at not being afraid?

The thoughts of all three passengers were halted when the pilot rapped three times on his mouthpiece to gather the group's attention. He gave a thumbs up sign and leveled the helicopter over a clearing. Kim nodded and removed her helmet, moving towards the rope-ladder that had been lowered by one of the ninjas. Ron and Yori followed.

Upon reaching the bottom of the ladder, Yori gave a thumbs up to the pilot, who saluted and then began to fly away. After he disappeared behind the high canopy, the three members of the group faced each other. Kim pulled out her Kimmunicator so that Wade could join in on the conversation.

"Shego's located just northwest of your position," the boy genius informed them, throwing up a map on the Kimmunicator's tiny screen that contained a number of different colored dots. "You're the red dot," Wade explained. "Shego's the green, Ron's yellow, and Yori's blue."

Ron scratched his head. "Okay, I get why I'm yellow, Kim's red and Shego's green, but why's Yori blue?"

"I ran out of colors," Wade admitted. "Oh, Kim, look in your backpack. I got something special for Ron and Yori."

Kim did as she was told and pulled out two new, smaller versions of the device she held in her palm. Handing them to the other members of the group, she turned back to Wade. "These are spankin'," she complimented.

Wade gave a small bow. "They're to help you stay in contact if you get separated. It's hard to find someone in the jungle without a GPS. This should allow you to coordinate your assault."

"You rock, Wade." The boy gave her a thumbs up and a wink before his face was once more replaced by the map. She turned to Ron, who was already playing a game of Tetris. She smiled at that. "We'd better split up then," she suggested. Ron turned off his game and nodded, going serious. "Yori and I will go after Shego, you see if you can track down Monkey Fist."

"Why do I have to go alone?" Ron whined.

"Shego-san has only grown stronger since your last encounter. It will take both of us to bring her down," Yori explained before Kim could even open her mouth.

"Besides, Monkey Fist is your villain," Kim said nonchalantly. It should be no big with all that training you've been doing lately."

Ron forced a smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Not like I'd wanna face Shego anyway."

Kim nodded, adopting her "mission mode" face. "We'll rendezvous at the temple once you've taken out Monkey Fist."

"Gotcha, KP," the blonde said cheerily before turning around and walking off into the jungle, leaving Kim and Yori by themselves.

"I think you are putting a little too much trust in him," Yori opined. "And I think it may have something to do with me."

Kim quirked an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Ask yourself: are you and I facing Shego together because you want my help, or because you are keeping an eye on me?"

"Both," Kim admitted with a sigh. "Jealing tendencies. Sorry."

Yori gave her a warm smile. "It is alright. I do not trust myself either if all it takes are a few taunts to trick me into attacking foolishly. Promise me you will keep me from doing something rash when we confront Shego-san."

"If you'll promise to do the same for me," Kim replied with a chuckle. "Shego and I can get a bit… passionate when we fight." She said that last part with just a hint of a blush forming on her cheeks.

"It is a deal," the ninja girl. "Though I still think you place too much weight on Stoppable-san's shoulders."

"It's no big," Kim dismissed as she started to walk in the direction of the temple. "I can't baby sit him all the time. What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAH!" Ron screamed, waving his arms frantically as he ran from the beast behind him. 

It had started out innocently enough. There he was, walking through the jungle and minding his own business, stepping on branches, until he stepped on something that wasn't a branch. Now the jaguar behind him was reacting like any cat did when its tail has been stepped on, only about a thousand times more vicious.

Ron managed to fight his panic just long enough to pull his communicator out. "ANY SUGGESTIONS?!" he screamed to Wade.

"Just a second…" the boy genius replied, typing away frantically on his keyboard. "Okay, turn around!"

"What?! I thought I was supposed to run AWAY from the homicidal psycho jungle cat!" Ron screeched.

"Use the camera feature!" Wade explained. "Blind it!"

Ron did as he was told, turning around and standing in place, his communicator held out straight in front of him. The jaguar was a few yards away.

"Okay, that's not it," Ron muttered as he scrolled through the menu. "Phone settings, time and date settings, messages, incoming calls, internet, games…."

Rufus peeked out of Ron's pocket and saw the jaguar only a few feet away, preparing to pounce. He shrieked and ducked back into the pocket.

"Aha! Here it is! Camera!" Ron pressed the button and a blinding flash of light burst forth from the communicator, stopping the jaguar in its tracks and causing it to blink in confusion. After a few moments of looking around in a daze, it finally decided that the boy wasn't worth it and stalked off in the other direction.

Ron breathed a sigh of relief and tucked the communicator back in his pocket. But he was not out of danger just yet.

A man clad in a _shinobi shozoku _dropped down in front of him and attacked with a roundhouse kick. "I grow tired of this, Ron Stoppable…."

* * *

Shego sat meditating at the entrance of the temple. Three months ago she wouldn't have even thought about meditating. Usually she would just file her nails or read a magazine while she was bored. But her new partner's habits had started to rub off on her. 

She had to admit it was strangely peaceful focusing on something over and over in her head to the point where she pushed all other thoughts and entered a higher state of consciousness. Some independent research she'd done had revealed to her that meditation strengthened the neural connections in the frontal lobe.

But the thought, or rather memory, on which she was currently meditating was not at all peaceful. She was remembering what happened that night.

"_Do you know what I really hate?"_

"_That your… date melted?" _

"_Nah, you."_

The most excruciating pain imaginable had followed that remark. But like all scars, it healed. However, the emotional wounds ran much deeper.

She replayed the event again in her mind, focusing on Kim's utterly hateful expression right before she kicked her. She'd never seen that side of the girl before. It was scary to say the least. But it also made her pissed as hell.

Oh, sure, she'd invited it. She probably even deserved it from that remark she'd made about Eric. But she never expected that from Kimmie. The Kim Possible she knew would never do that.

But did she really know Kim Possible? Really, truly know her? That girl was just as unpredictable as she was, and this drove Shego crazy. Their relationship was a game; a fixed encounter in which they would meet, exchange some remarks, fight, Kim would come out on top and stop Drakken's plan, and they would run away to prepare for the next scheme. Lather, rinse, repeat. Kimmie couldn't just change the rules like that. Shego finally understood where Señor Senior Senior was coming from. But she also realized that Kimmie had only broken the rules because she had done so first.

Shego realized she was getting distracted and replayed the memory, focusing her anger into something useful for the upcoming battle. She couldn't be weak in front of Kim. She had to be pissed. She was supposed to be pissed.

And yet, she wasn't. She couldn't stay mad at a girl who reminded her so much of herself. It was why she hated her and found her fascinating at the exact same time. It was why she could never bring herself to kill her before.

But now it was different. Now she had no other choice. If she really wanted this plan to succeed, Kim and the ninja chick would have to be taken out. Permanently.

Shego opened her eyes and curled the right side of her lips upward in a wicked smirk as she heard footsteps approach. She slid her right leg, which was tucked under her body, forward and stood up slowly and confidently.

"How's it goin', Princess?" she greeted almost casually, though there were still traces of resentment in her tone.

"Shego," Kim replied snidely. "Always a displeasure."

Shego actually chuckled at that. "Nice to see you too, Kimmie."

"So what crazy plot are you involved in this time?" Kim asked.

The green lady shrugged. "Hell if I know. Monkey man's harder to figure out than Drakken. Hell, he chose this spot because it's where he first met you and Stoppable."

"So what's gonna happen here?" the redhead inquired casually.

Shego's expression hardened into a scowl as she held up her talons. "You're going to die."

Kim scoffed. "I sincerely doubt that."

The pale thief smirked. "Try me, Kimmie. You think I haven't been holding back on you all these years? I could have snapped you like a twig or burned you to a crisp any time I wanted. Well, now I want to. I'm not pulling any more punches."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Kim retorted, dropping into a combat stance.

"You've got spirit, Kimmie," Shego admitted with a smile. "I'm gonna miss that about you." She frowned, her eyes narrowing into little slits.

"This… wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I kicked you into an electrical tower, would it?" Kim asked nervously, backing up slowly when she saw that Shego was dead serious. "Cause if it does, I'm sorry."

"Oh, please, I got over that a long time ago," the green woman lied. "This is about one thing and one thing only: stopping you from getting in my way." Her eyes narrowed.

For the first time, Kim found herself afraid. It wasn't an irrational fear like it had been with Roachie; Shego really did want to kill her. She continued to walk backwards, stopping when her back hit a tree. Then she remembered that Shego had fallen to her many times before and she had no reason to be afraid. So why was she?

"I'm gonna miss you Princess, I really am," Shego said solemnly. "But it has to happen this way. Sorry, Kim." With that, she lit up her hands and sent a massive bolt of plasma barreling towards the redhead.

Years of experience fighting Shego allowed Kim to expertly jump out of the way, flipping to the side as the tree splintered and cracked, collapsing under its own weight and hitting the ground with a colossal thud. Another bolt soon followed, and another tree fell to Shego's wrath. The pale woman continued to fire off plasma, and Kim kept jumping out of the way with the agility of a mantis, eventually getting close enough to Shego to interrupt her barrage with a flying kick.

Shego ducked under the attack, allowing Kim to sail over her straight into the temple wall. A master acrobat, Kim extended both feet in front of her and kicked off the wall, back flipping and landing on her feet. The green lady rushed at Kim with a fury the girl had never seen, swiping and coming within millimeters of hitting her. The resultant gash in the stone walls of the temple indicated to Kim that the blow would have most likely taken her head off. Shego had never swung that hard before.

Kim chanced a kick aimed at Shego's midsection, which the green woman easily caught and used to her advantage, lighting up and superheating the steel toe of the boot to the point where the younger woman actually cried out in pain. She ripped off the footwear, drawing Kim closer to herself in the process. An unlit fist hit Kim square in the jaw, stunning the redhead and causing her head to jerk back from the sheer force of the blow. Kim touched her hand to her mouth and saw that there was blood coming from her gums. She spit, and a couple of teeth came tumbling out onto her palm.

"That hurt," she growled, dropping into a defensive stance.

Shego didn't respond, instead rushing forward with inhuman speed and kicking her square in the gut. Black blood spewed forth from Kim's mouth, a sign that it had come from deep within her. She'd probably suffered damage to her internal organs from the attack. She doubled over, coughing up more of the precious substance.

The green woman took three determined steps forward, grabbing Kim by the neck and pressing her against the temple wall, one hand drawn back. "This is where it ends, Kimmie. Our rivalry. Our game. You changed the rules last time we fought. I'm just repaying the favor. Goodbye, Princess."

Kim closed her eyes and braced for the inevitable. This was it. Shego was going to kill her. This wasn't how she'd wanted it to end. A part of her had even hoped that Shego and her could be friends. With nothing else to do, Kim started to cry.

"Oh come on, you're tougher than this!" Shego berated her. "Fight back!"

But she couldn't. She wouldn't. Not like this. Their fights had always been a dance, not a brawl. Now Shego was about to end the game once and for all. She couldn't get over that. She couldn't do anything except weep at the fact that it was finally over.

Shego scowled. "Fine. Guess I'll just have to put you out of your misery." She lit her hand and prepared to drive it through Kimmie's skull.

Then she felt a sharp pain in her back.

Dropping the sniveling Kim, Shego turned around, enraged that someone would interrupt her triumphant moment. She saw the ninja chick standing there, holding a handful of shuriken and glaring at her with a ferocity that Shego had never seen, except from Kim.

"So, she brought the little Yuri chick with her," Shego sneered as she reached her arm over her shoulder to pull out the shuriken. "This is starting to get fun."

"My _name_ is _Yori_," the girl snarled, remembering the last time she had encountered the woman. "And you have no business killing her."

"Oh, but that's where you're mistaken," the pale thief corrected. "Killing her is vital to my business."

Yori pocketed her shuriken and drew a pair of bladed fans. "And it is my business to stop you."

Shego smirked wickedly and lit up her talons. "You remember what happened last time," she taunted. "Still pining for Stoppable-san?"

"No," the ninja replied calmly. "But it may interest you to know that he and Kim-chan are… involved."

"Kim-_chan_?" Shego questioned, knowing full well what the honorific implied. "Just how close are you two?"

Yori blushed. She had not meant to refer to Kim like that. She quickly recovered and adopted an offensive pose with her fans, one held straight in front, the other behind her head, elbow bent. Her feet were spread apart, her left foot in front of her body, right foot behind. She narrowed her eyes at the woman.

Shego smirked wickedly as the ninja lunged towards her with a spin attack. She sidestepped easily and attempted to trip Yori as she was coming out of her spin, but the girl was too fast and jumped over the extended leg. Not giving Shego any time to rest, she followed up the spin with a vicious roundhouse kick, turning on her left foot as she landed and sending her right barreling towards Shego's face.

The pale woman leaned backward quickly to avoid the blow, then raised her arms to deflect the fans that Yori swung at her neck. She suffered a couple of superficial cuts, but nothing that a little plasma powers wouldn't heal ten times faster than normal. The shuriken wound in her back had already disappeared, after all. Speaking of plasma powers….

With a loud "FWOOSH!" Yori's fans were enveloped in green flame. Panicking, the raven-haired girl threw them to the ground. She barely avoided the deadly swipe that Shego sent her way, ducking and retaliating with an uppercut that snapped the pale woman's head back. Now on the offensive, she pummeled Shego with a series of punches and kicks, culminating with a roundhouse that sent her sailing through a rapidly decaying section of the temple wall. Tough as ever, Shego got up as though nothing happened.

The smirk was wiped off of her face by the bare foot of an enraged Kim Possible, who had recovered from earlier and was now wearing an expression that Shego would liken to the last time they fought. It would seem she didn't like someone trying to kill her. Not surprising.

Forming her right hand into a talon, Shego lit up and slashed across Kim's bare midriff, leaving four very evident scratch marks that cauterized instantly due to the extreme heat of the plasma. Kim cried out in pain. Shego frowned and followed up the strike with a leg sweep that brought her rival to the ground.

Yori was not going to just stand there and watch her ally get killed by a much stronger opponent who had decided not to play nice anymore. Grabbing a stick from the ground, she rushed forward and used it as a pole vault to kick Shego right in the face. The green woman staggered a bit from the blow, but she did not fall down.

Growling furiously, Shego lit up again and split the stick right down the middle, making each side about the same length as a bo staff. She gripped the side that Yori dropped, igniting the end.

Now the two women squared off in mortal combat, Shego thrusting with the lit end of her makeshift spear and Yori beating it aside. Kim writhed in pain on the ground, unable to believe that Shego would do this to her. She had never fought this dirty or this determined before; usually her objective was just to keep Kim busy until Drakken could activate his doomsday device. Now she was actually _trying _to kill her. It was an unsettling thought that filled Kim with rage, which helped her forget about the pain as her adrenaline kicked in. With a snarl, Kim rose to her feet and started running over to where Shego and Yori continued to fight.

Shego was too fast. It was taking all of Yori's training just to stay alive. The green woman had been at this a lot longer than she had, and her super powers put her leagues ahead of the ninja. Gripping her staff like a baseball bat, Shego swung at Yori's weapon so hard that both splintered and flew off in random directions. Shego abandoned her strategy and fell back on her previous one, which was to extend her hands straight in front of her and try to blow a hole through the ninja's chest. No way the little bitch could dodge at this close range. Yori's eyes widened as she realized that this was the end.

A vicious kick from Kim at the last second threw Shego's aim off just enough to make the strike non-lethal, striking Yori in the shoulder instead. It was still sufficient to incapacitate the girl, however. With the ninja girl taken care of, Shego turned her full attention to Kim. The girl was moving a lot faster and hitting a lot harder than before, adrenaline flooding her veins and imbuing her with superhuman characteristics.

Shego still had the upper hand, though, blocking all of the girl's strikes with ease. She actually _was_ superhuman, after all. She gnashed her teeth and swiped at Kim, intending to rake her fingers across that hateful little round face. Her perfect plan was thwarted, however, when the girl not only deflected the strike, but also managed to counter by planting her boot in Shego's gut hard enough to send her flying backwards into a tree.

The pale woman cursed out loud. That hurt.

"Time to finish this," she snarled, charging forward with superhuman speed and tackling Kim to the ground so hard they both bounced a little. She clasped her left hand around the girl's throat and drew her lit right hand back like before, intent on ending this once and for all.

But something stopped her.

Kim didn't flinch. She didn't close her eyes or cry like she had before. She didn't even move. All she did was stare Shego straight in the eyes with a blank expression on her face.

Time seemed to freeze as Shego contemplated her current situation. Did she really want to do this? Where would the fun be in ruling the world if she didn't have anybody to try and stop her? Looking into Kim's eyes, those viridian orbs so similar to her own, she found herself unable to strike the final blow. Her mind was telling her that she had to; that there was no other choice, but her body flat out refused to kill the girl who reminded her so much of herself. Her right hand started to shake and she released Kim's throat, standing up and looking at her own hands in fear.

"I-I can't do this," she said in a shell shocked voice. She started to back away. "I can't do this."

Seeing her normally tough-as-nails rival like this snapped Kim out of her anger and caused her to feel concern for the woman who had just tried to kill her only to find that she couldn't. "Shego? Are you alright?"

"NO!" the pale woman shrieked as she continued to back away. "You win, Kimmie! Just… AGH!" With that, she ran off into the jungle.

Kim blinked. '_That was lucky_,' she mused. She wondered if she should go after her, when she remembered the more important matter directly behind her.

She found Yori conscious and already bandaging her wounds. "Any idea what that was all about?" she asked, even though she didn't expect an answer. She was not at all surprised when Yori shrugged her shoulders. She pulled out her Kimmunicator. "C'mon, let's go find Ron." Yori nodded and fell in line behind her.

* * *

They found Ron sitting alone in a clearing, visibly shaking. His first response when he saw Kim was to envelop her in a hug. The redhead returned it full force, every bit as rattled as he apparently was. 

"God, KP, what happened to you?" Ron asked after they separated and he finally got a good look at her, particularly the scars on her midriff.

"It's no big," Kim dismissed. "They're not very deep, and they cauterized too quick to be infected. I'll be fine. What happened to you?"

"Monkey Fist," Ron said with a scowl. "He said he was gonna kill me, but I convinced him not to."

"That's funny," Possible remarked. "The same thing happened with me and Shego."

"Did it have anything to do with you not living up to your potential?" the blonde asked.

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no…. Why?"

"No reason," Stoppable lied.

"Well, let's get home," Kim suggested. "This has been a big day for all of us." The other two nodded in agreement.

They didn't know it, but Kim and Ron both had the same word on their mind, relating to the same situation:

'_Why?_'


	3. Loving Annabelle

_**Man in the Box**__ is performed by Alice in Chains_

**Chapter 2**  
Loving Annabelle

Monkey Fist found Shego trembling by her jet. He shook his head, amused, and walked up to her. "Didn't go as planned?" he asked in a lighthearted tone, though they both knew that her answer would determine Shego's future as his partner in crime.

Rather than form a witty retort or fly off the handle, Shego simply shook her head, not even looking at him. Instead, her eyes were glued to her hands, which were shaking violently. Her breaths were short. She looked to be in shock.

"I-I couldn't do it," she choked, as though trying to hold back tears. This was highly unusual for her. Something must have gone terribly wrong to reduce the normally unconquerable Shego to this. "It was her eyes—I looked her in the eyes and I… I LET HER GO!" she yelled, fury replacing her shell shocked demeanor. "It was stupid! _I_ was stupid! Now she's gonna come after us _again_ when she discovers her sidekick's dead!"

Fiske chuckled. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that; he's perfectly alive."

Shego stopped her ranting and contorted her face, staring at the monkey man in confusion. "What?"

"My plan was never to kill the boy," Monty continued confidently. "Simply to rattle him to the point where he would begin to doubt himself as a hero. This would of course make him vulnerable and enable me to manipulate him quite easily." He grinned.

The pale woman quirked an eyebrow. "So what was I for?"

"Oh come now. I knew you wouldn't be able to manage it," Monkey Fist replied. "And even if you had, Stoppable's revenge on you would have led him to discover his dark side."

Shego's eyes shot open in fury. "So you were willing to let him KILL ME just to further your own plot?!" she shrieked, ready to rip him a new one.

Any other person in the world, hero or villain alike, would have cowered and begged for forgiveness. Monkey Fist, however, merely smirked. "You should be glad you didn't kill them, then," he replied smoothly. "Besides, I was counting on you not doing it. I just needed a plan B in case you actually managed to succeed at the task."

"So what are we gonna do now?" Shego asked, a bit less irate, but still pissed as hell at the monkey man for not letting her in on the plan until just now. "It's not gonna involve killing again, is it? I can only do that when it's one degree or more removed!"

"Don't worry," Fiske assured her with a chuckle. "Now that the seeds have been planted, all we need to do is drive them apart. You will be my wedge."

"Don't particularly like the sound of that, but ya got me," Shego replied. "What am I gonna do?"

Monkey Fist grinned wickedly. "Oh trust me, you'll develop a whole new love for learning."

"Huh?"

Monty smirked even wider. "Here's what I had in mind…."

* * *

'_Oh, he is _so_ going to pay for this,_' Shego thought to herself as she clutched a notebook tight to her chest to avoid attracting attention to the two parts of her anatomy that every schoolboy seemed fascinated by. It was the fact that she actually_was_ surrounded by schoolboys that made this a very pressing matter. 

Degree in child development aside, Shego really couldn't stand kids. The plan made perfect sense—her eyes had lit up with delight when Monkey Fist clued her in on her part—but she had only gotten that degree in the hopes of better understanding the people she worked with. After all, Drakken had never really grown up, just gotten older. To understand him you had to think like a child, or at the very least know how a child thought.

Thankfully, her current partner was much smarter and able to match her wit for wit, but Shego found that his tendency to become obsessed rather easily still made him very much insane. One notices these things when one minors in abnormal psychology. It was her new boss's insanity that prompted an idea such as this. Not that she could think of anything better; her job was carrying out ideas, not coming up with them. She had to do her best with whatever wacky scheme her boss cooked up.

Unlike Drakken, however, Monty had really thought this one out. Every situation had been plotted out in advance; every possible variable accounted for. She had to commend his foresight. He had given her everything she needed to work with. Now the burden was on her.

But she had always been exceptionally strong.

Pushing open the double doors at the front of the building, Shego strode confidently into Middleton High School. Her steps were graceful, hips swaying as her high heels, black as her hair, clattered against the hard tile floor. All eyes were suddenly on her.

And what a sight she was. Clad in a brown miniskirt and an aquamarine high collar shirt accented by a stunning gray blazer and a headband that matched her blouse, she was truly a sight to behold. All modesty forgotten, she let the books that had previously been pressed tight against her ample chest hang by her side, showing off to the world her drool-inducing rack. Jealous girlfriends slapped their men in the face to stop them from staring, but only a few of the jocks actually registered the hit. The rest currently had blood dripping from their noses, and not from the slaps either.

Shego smirked as she saw that she was being ogled. '_Bet you'd like to see _me_ drop the chalk, eh, big boy?_' she communicated wordlessly to a jock whose brain had currently been shorted out. '_Wonder how much you're wishing you had my class?_' The simple act of looking at him with a sultry expression resulted in all of the blood draining out of one head and into another, causing the boy to pass out with a very happy expression on his face. She chuckled. This was too much fun.

The first period bell rang just as Shego reached the Principal's office. Three sharp knocks on the door was all it took to get Mr. Steve Barkin to open the door with a very eager expression on his face.

"Miss Go! Pleasure to meet you!" the uncharacteristically cheerful Barkin greeted, shaking her hand and closing the door behind him in one smooth motion. "Pardon my rush, but that was the first period bell. We need to get you to your class."

Shego feigned a smile and replied, "Show me the way, Stevie."

The man apparently loved the nickname and perked up even more, his gigantic smile threatening to split his face. Shego rolled her eyes in the half-second he looked away from her.

"Now, you're gonna have to wait outside the classroom for a second while I prep the students," Mr. Barkin explained in a much more professional tone as he led Shego through the halls. "There's a couple of troublemakers in there and I wanna be able to strike the fear of God in 'em before they can cause you any trouble."

"Whatever you say, Stevie," Shego replied sweetly, laying it on thicker than Stoppable with diablo sauce. This man would be so much fun to crush when he made the move that he was clearly obsessing on in his over-idealistic mind. Who could blame the guy? In this outfit, Shego could make the Pope turn around and stare. She smirked at the image. Before she knew it, they had arrived at the classroom.

As she was told, Shego waited patiently outside. She could still hear everything through the door, however, mostly thanks to Mr. Barkin's drill sergeant routine.

"ALRIGHT PEOPLE, LISTEN UP!" She didn't even have to lean up against the door at this rate. Her enhanced hearing as a result of the comet powers didn't hurt either.

"As you all know, we're a little short-staffed this year," Mr. Barkin's voice spoke on the other side of the door. Shego heard every syllable with perfect clarity. "Now I have managed to find a substitute for Miss Hammerhead." The sound of several students chuckling at the unfortunate surname reached Shego's ears, and she couldn't help laughing along with them.

"QUIET, PEOPLE!" Barkin's voice thundered so loud the door visibly shuddered. Shego actually took a step back before she realized that it was the students that Mr. Barkin was trying to intimidate, not her. Still, even though his bark was probably far worse than his bite, he had a pretty loud bark. Talk about ironic surnames.

"Now," he continued once the students had been sufficiently traumatized, "I want all of you to offer your new substitute the greatest respect. Otherwise you'll have an appointment with _me_." Shego was fairly certain that Mr. Barkin was pointing to his chest. It just seemed like the appropriate gesture. Speaking of gestures, that was probably her cue. She gathered that she was correct from the fact that Mr. Barkin opened the door and allowed her to step inside.

No sooner had she stepped inside than she heard a gasp to her left. She didn't even have to look to know who it was. Kimmie.

"Shego?" the redhead whispered, shocked.

She smiled inwardly. This was too good.

"Let me know if there's… anything I can do for you, Miss Go," Barkin offered smoothly as he made towards the door.

Shego smiled sweetly and replied, "Sure, thing, _Stevie_." She could actually hear Possible and Stoppable's disgusted reaction to that statement. She smirked inwardly. If she could fool _them_ into thinking she actually had feelings for this overly strict, borderline psychotic with an ego the size of Nevada, how much was _he_ relishing in the flirting?

A lot, judging by his wink as he left the classroom. It intrigued her so much that she almost didn't notice a red blur come darting from her desk and grab her by the arm.

"You. Me. Hall. _Now_," Kim commanded as she dragged Shego out of the room.

The captive teacher smirked. "I thought I was the one who gave the hall talks."

Kim's only response was to growl and slam the door behind her before shoving the pale woman up against a locker. "What the hell are you doing here?!" she whispered harshly through clenched teeth.

"Well I was _trying_ to educate the next generation before _someone_ forgot that I now have authority over her," Shego replied snidely as she rolled her eyes. "Let me go or you're goin' to detention, Princess."

"You can't put me in detention!" the cheerleader snapped, lifting Shego a few inches off the ground.

"Try me."

Kim glared at her for a few long seconds before finally releasing her captive. Shego smirked.

"What the hell _are _you doing here anyway?" Possible asked in an equally harsh tone as before. "You're not a teacher."

"Yes I am."

"So not!"

"So so!"

"Yeah right," Kim snorted. "You probably forged your credentials."

Now it was Shego's turn to slam Kim up against a locker. "Don't you _dare_ accuse me of that!" she snarled, coming within inches of Kim's face. "I busted my ass to get that degree _and_ to get certified in this state! I'm fully qualified for this job and I do _not _appreciate anyone suggesting otherwise! Ya got that?"

Petrified by the deadly look in Shego's eyes, the same look of grim determination that she had seen in their last encounter, Kim could only nod in fear. Shego was dead serious about this. The green woman released her slowly to drive the fear home. It only took a second for Kim to go back to her previous demeanor, however.

"Well then why here?" she questioned. "Why me?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Isn't what obvious?"

Shego sighed and bowed her head, slumping her shoulders forward to really sell the pose. It was crucial that Kimmie believe the lie that she was about to tell her. "I've had enough, Princess. Villainy, our rivalry, everything. I don't wanna do this anymore."

Kim's expression softened, a sign that she was taking the bait. Heroes and their soft sides. Shego knew that compassion was her rival's kryptonite. It made her strong when she was in her element, but in a situation such as this, her compassion made her weak and vulnerable to Shego's trap.

"So you're quitting?"

Shego smirked. "Yeah, pretty much. Drakken's Lil' Diablo plan was pretty much the highest I was ever gonna get. I've been going slowly downhill ever since. I'm ready to leave this ride." '_Now take the bait like a good little sucker_.'

Possible stared at her for several moments, trying to decide whether or not she should believe the woman who the day before had literally tried to kill her. Speaking of which, "So… you… don't want to kill me?"

The green vixen shook her head. "Nope. That was the breaking point for me. It was at that point I realized I was just hurting myself and everything I cared about by continuing down that path. So I decided to quit."

"But why teaching? Why not join up with GJ or someone like that?"

Shego scoffed. '_Because they'd see right through the damn act._' "Hello? Have you _seen _those little monkey suits they make them wear? Not for me."

"True," Kim agreed. "But that still doesn't answer my other question. Why are you getting a job as a teacher here at _my _school?"

"To be close to you, of course." That one wasn't a lie.

Kim just stared at her.

Shego smiled. "C'mon, Princess, if anyone's been there for me when I needed it besides Drakken, it's you."

"What?" Possible balked. "I'm your _enemy_! How could I be there for you?!"

"You were there to keep me in line when I got too full of myself," the pale woman answered honestly. "I was the same with you. You're the Yin to my Yang. You keep me focused. I figured if anyone could help get me back on the right track, it's you." '_But I won't let you get that far._'

That statement apparently resonated with Kim, who lit up. "Well then this is great! Weird, but great! Welcome to the good side!" She rushed forward to embrace her new ally.

Shego halted her by raising a hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there, Pumpkin. Just because I'm not running around trying to take over the world anymore doesn't mean I'm gonna join your little crusade against evil. When I said I wanted to get out of the game, I meant it. I'm stayin' out of the fight."

"Fair enough," Kim conceded. "Guess I can't expect you to change completely overnight."

"And don't you forget it, Princess."

A silence ensued, but not the awkward kind of silence. Instead it was the kind of silence where words did not need to be spoken, because none could quite accurately fit the moment. The silence was interrupted by a loud throat-clearing sound that caused both ladies to turn and face Mr. Barkin, who had walked up to them. "Is… everything alright, Miss Go?" he asked.

"Everything's A-OK, Steve-o," Shego replied with a wink. "Possible and I were just discussing a few things. We should probably head back to class now."

"See ya, Mr. Barkin," Kim spoke as she began to walk back to the door, Shego following close behind. Both disappeared inside.

The ever-suspicious Steve Barkin remained still for a moment, scowling at the door through which the two females had escaped his grasp. He didn't know what they had been discussing, but from the loud metallic sounds he'd heard he had no choice but to assume that the dents in the locker next to him were recent. They had apparently resolved whatever conflict they had, so he shouldn't be too worried, but he also knew that Kim never used violence unless she deemed someone to be a threat. And he knew what kind of threats she faced.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you, Miss Go," Barkin said ominously before resuming his patrol.

* * *

"Shego _what_?!" Ron shouted when Kim told him the news. 

"Quit," Kim repeated. "What's so wrong about that?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that she just tried to KILL YOU yesterday?!"

"So not the drama," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "That was the breaking point for her. She's serious about this."

"I don't know, KP," Ron said in a worried voice. "I've got a really bad feeling about this…."

"You worry too much," Kim replied as she shut her locker, reminding Ron that they were in the hall and that he should really try to keep his outbursts to a minimum. It was something he and Kim had talked about.

"I'm just sayin', KP," he continued as they walked towards the exit doors. Another school day was finally over and they had been planning on going to Bueno Nacho when Kim had brought up Shego's sudden change in heart. "Something about this whole thing really doesn't feel right to me. I mean, Shego's a liar and a major felon. Hell, she probably forged her teaching certificate."

"I wouldn't say that around her," Kim warned. "Besides, I had Wade run a check on it. It's legit. She really did go to college while she was working with Dr. Drakken just so she'd have something to fall back on in case she ever did decide to give up villainy."

"Or if she needed to get close to her enemy in disguise," Ron countered, unknowingly hitting the nail on the head. "I mean, it could just be a plan to hurt you by getting close to you."

"Doesn't seem like Shego's style, though," she observed, pushing open the double doors and granting them release from Middleton High. "I mean, she usually goes straight for the throat."

"That's just it, though; maybe she's trying to throw you off by being nice to you."

"Ron, I know Shego," Kim said. "She wouldn't do something like this unless she was telling the truth. Maybe you should trust her instead of turning everything into a conspiracy theory."

'_Oh, _that_ wasn't condescending at all,_' Ron commented sarcastically to himself. '_I should know by now she doesn't listen to what I have to say about anything. Too caught up in her own ideas to really give the time of day to anyone else, even when they could be right._' It was Kim's one really noticeable flaw, he realized, aside from her hyper-competitive streak and tendency to get a little too intense about certain things. He admitted to having cried wolf a number of times, but she had believed him the night of the prom, right? Why was it so difficult to accept any viewpoint other than her own?

'_And they say_ I'm _thickheaded,_' he remarked inwardly. He was suddenly reminded of an old anecdote about a battleship and the light from another vessel and how, if the captain of the ship wouldn't have been so stubborn and refused to listen, he would have realized that he was on a collision course with a lighthouse. '_There is a way that seems right to a man,_' Ron quoted from Proverbs, '_but in the end it leads to death._'

"Whatever," he muttered, deciding to drop it when he saw that Kim was not going to listen. "So are we still up for Bueno Nacho?"

"About that, Ron," Kim said nervously, "I sort of invited Shego."

Ron then did a near-perfect impression of Drakken's patented "face drop" where his eyes closed halfway and his mouth slumped along with his shoulders. "You can't be serious, KP," he said. "Bueno Nacho is supposed to be _our_ hangout!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kim said in an overly sweet tone that let Ron know she was _not_ sorry at all. In fact, she was mocking him. "Did they not teach you how to share in kindergarten?"

"I'm surprised to hear that coming from _you_," Ron snapped.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you're so über possessive of everything that you come across as a jealous witch?" He had to admit, saying that to her felt good. Really good.

"Me? Possessive? Are you sure you're alright, Ron?" Kim was obviously flabbergasted.

Under normal circumstances Ron would have cowered in fear and begged forgiveness. But his near-death encounter with Monkey Fist made him realize that life was just too short not to say what's on your mind. "Oh sure, you're not possessive," he drawled, rolling his eyes. "Why else would you chase me halfway around the world to see what I was doing with Yori, huh?"

Kim didn't have an answer to that. "Well… I…."

"Was jelling," Ron finished for her.

"Kinda," Possible admitted weakly.

Ron couldn't believe his ears. Had Kim just… admitted she was wrong? That he was right for once?

"But not without good reason!" she said quickly before he had the chance to capitalize on her momentary lapse in her defenses.

'_Of course she'll never admit she was wrong,_' Ron thought bitterly. '_The great and mighty Kim Possible is never wrong, even though she claims she can do anything. How about show some humility once in a while?_'

At least she was observant enough to look at his face and see that something was bothering him. "What is it?"

He sighed. "Why is it so hard for you to admit that I may be right for once?"

"Be…cause you're usually wrong?" a voice behind them suggested. Ron and Kim whirled around quickly to find Shego standing there. "You know, just a thought."

Ron's eyes narrowed. "Shego."

Shego squinted as well, though her intent was to mock the boy. "Stoppable," she hissed, then went back to her normal expression. "What are we doing?"

"Apparently giving warm and friendly greetings," Kim commented sardonically before the group started walking again. Shego interposed herself between Kim and Ron, upsetting the latter while the former remained nonplussed.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you like that," Shego spoke up. "Old habits."

"It's no big," Kim returned. "You're just in time for a Bueno Nacho run."

"_Our_ Bueno Nacho run," Stoppable mumbled, smiling sheepishly when both women turned to him with a questioning look. "Um, not to prod or anything, Shego, but just exactly how much did you hear?"

"Other than the fact that you think I'm using this to get to Kimmie, not that much," Shego answered nonchalantly, which only made the look of horror on Ron's face even more pronounced. She laughed at that. "Oh come on, I'm not surprised you'd think that. I _was_ wanted in eleven countries till Kimmie here got me a pardon from Global Justice, after all."

"Twelve if you count Ron the first time he saw you," Possible quipped, causing Ron to blush when Shego sent what looked suspiciously like a leer in his direction.

"Really?" the pale woman commented. "Guess I should take that as a compliment, then."

Ron was blushing furiously, something only Shego could ever manage to make him do. "Well… y'know… that was before I actually… er… got to know you and…."

"So you like my body but not my personality?"

"Yes! I mean no! I mean… that is…."

"Well, you have tried to kill us before," Kim interjected. "He tends to be afraid of those sorts of women."

"I'm not trying to kill him now," Shego returned. "Though I just might if he doesn't stop staring at my ass!" She shot a fierce glare in his direction.

To his credit, Ron was still unmoved. He had actually been so embarrassed that he didn't even realize where he was staring. But most of the blood remained in his face. This was made quite clear as he blushed hotly while offering a sheepish grin and wave.

Shego chuckled. "Go ahead and stare if you want; it's your funeral."

Ron, as was often the case, was confused. "But I thought you said you _weren't_ going to kill me?"

"I never said _I_ was."

He was about to question her on that when he saw an enraged glare from Kim focused on him. "Oh, right." He chuckled nervously. "Now see! Tell me you aren't jealous!"

"He's got a point, Kimmie," Shego admitted.

Now the attention was focused on her, and she blushed even brighter than Ron had. She attempted to dodge. "You're so not his type!"

"I have a type?" Ron attempted to interrupt. Kim, however, ignored him and focused her next question on Shego.

"What makes you think I'm jealous? Are you _that _interested in my dating life?"

"To quote you, 'So not,'" Shego huffed. "But I have done a little research, including that psych profile GJ keeps of you. Says you tend to be rather possessive and lack the ability to cede control to others. It also says you always have to be right."

"I do _not_ always have to be right!" Kim shot back defensively.

"Really? You're even refusing to admit you're wrong about never wanting to be wrong."

"Yeah, talk about irony," Ron agreed. He quickly cowered when Kim shot an angry glare in his direction. Shego, to her credit, didn't drop her smirk until Kim finally relented.

"Rrgh, fine!" she growled in a way that Shego couldn't help but find cute. It reminded her a lot of Drakken, actually. "Let's just go to Bueno Nacho."

"We'll take my car," Shego suggested. "Sorry about running over your scooter, by the way," she said to Ron.

"Oh, it's no big," Ron grumbled as he did his best impression of Kim. "I mean, it's only four feet tall. Real easy to miss while you're driving a sports car."

"Just be glad I have a back seat," the villainess shot back. "That thing was a piece of junk anyway. Don't know how Princess puts up with it."

"She doesn't," Kim quipped, reminding the other two that she was still there.

"Whatever, let's just go," Ron muttered, and the two women couldn't help but agree.

Shego unlocked the car and Ron opened the passenger door. "Uh, Shego, you've got an awfully low ceiling here. How am I supposed to get in the back seat?"

She answered his question by reaching down and popping the release lever, which sent the chair flying forwards to smack him in the side of the head.

"OW!" he complained. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," Shego answered with a smirk.

He muttered some choice words under his breath and then clambered into the back. Kim fixed the passenger seat and climbed in after him. Shego reflected on the conversation they'd just had as she moved around to the driver's side door.

'_The buffoon hits it on the head and he doesn't even realize it,_' she noted with a certain satisfaction. '_Course if what Monkey Man tells me is correct, he'll find out he was right soon enough. Need to build up a little trust between the two of us between now and then. Maybe if I take Stoppable's side in more arguments he'll start to see me as someone he can relate to. That'll make it easier to keep him under control when the plan finally goes in motion._'

She suddenly realized that she'd actually had a thought about how she could help carry out this plan. Normally she would just sit back and let Drakken rant, but something about the way Monkey Fist had planned this all out made her want to jump in there and help. She could be quite the little schemer when she wanted to be. She decided she liked being a partner way better than being a sidekick. With that in mind, she grinned and entered the car.

* * *

"And that's the lesson for today," Shego concluded. "See you tomorrow," she called out to the students as they made a mad rush for the door. "Oh, hey, Stoppable!" 

'_Just when I thought I was in the clear,_' he lamented, drooping his head slightly. He lifted it back up and turned around to face her with an uneasy expression on his face "Yes, Miss Go?"

"Do you mind staying after for a few minutes?" she asked. "I need to talk with you about something."

He gulped, then replied, "Sure, why not? Kim got called on another one of those 'special' missions from GJ that for some reason I'm not allowed to come on, so I've basically got the next few hours to myself."

"Special mission, huh?" Shego remarked. Already in her mind the cogwheels were spinning to see how she could use this to her advantage. First she needed to know how he felt about them, though. A simple question would do the trick. "So how long has she been going on these 'special' missions?"

"About every two weeks for the whole summer," Ron answered with no small amount of bitterness, confirming to Shego that he indeed felt resentment toward Possible over the subject but wasn't willing to admit it.

'_I can use this to drive them apart,_' she realized, trying to keep the urge to grin like a predator under control. '_Or at least build up some tension between them._' "Must hurt knowing you can't be there to help her, huh?"

"More like slow her down," the boy retorted, taking a seat in one of the desks once he realized this conversation was going to take a while. "I'm nothing more than a distraction."

"Don't say that," she said in a soothing tone, laying it on as thick as she could. Honestly she didn't give a flying fuck how low his self-confidence was; she just knew it was vital to the plan at hand that he believed he was a god among insects, as Monkey Fist had so colorfully put. She cantered over the floor to where he sat at his desk and sat atop it, noting with no small satisfaction that he seemed to shy away from her for fear of doing something that would make Kim _extremely_ jealous. Which wasn't that hard, she had to admit. "From what Monty said about you I hear you're some sort of master of monkey kung fu."

"Eh, it comes and goes," Ron dismissed, still not losing that nervous edge to his voice as the only thing that kept him from moving even further away from the sultry villainess was the fact that the laws of physics prevented him from actually passing through the back of the chair.

"So do friends," Shego mentioned in a very casual tone, even though it was anything but. "Especially girlfriends."

"Are you suggesting Kim's doing something else when she's on those special missions?"

"Something," the pale woman replied enigmatically, "or someone."

This caused Ron to bolt up out of his chair with an outraged expression on his face. "WHAT?! Kim would never do that!"

"I'm not saying she is," Shego said calmly, while inside she was almost cackling with delight. "But don't you find it odd how regularly she goes on these 'special' missions? Every two weeks did you say?"

Ron nodded.

"And she's never told you where she goes?"

"Classified stuff."

"GJ isn't part of any government. They can't classify anything," Shego pointed out. "Seems to me like she just doesn't want you to know where she's going."

Ron wouldn't accept it. He couldn't. Kim was his girlfriend. His best friend before that. She would never betray him. "I don't believe you," he said.

Shego just chuckled and shook her head. "Damn, Stoppable, you're just so naïve. I like that about you. But damn it, you've gotta pull your head out of your ass and start thinking for yourself!" Her voice took on a markedly different tone for that last sentence. "I'm not sayin' Kim's out bangin' some random hunk. I know her; she'd never do that. But she's goin' somewhere and she doesn't want you to go with her. You've thought about this before. What comes after that?"

"We start to grow apart," he said with a sigh. "She starts getting more devoted to this other thing than she is to me and eventually… we break up."

"And why is that?"

He sighed again. "Because I'm too afraid to say anything."

"Why?"

"Because I'm afraid that if I do, she'll think I don't trust her and I'll lose her anyway."

"So either way you're screwed." It was a statement, not a question.

"Pretty much."

She chuckled bitterly. "Fiske was right; you _are _a coward." Without even giving him a chance to respond, she turned heel and walked out of the room.

Ron stood there, stunned. Not that he wasn't expecting that from Shego; she was evil, after all. But her words rung so true it couldn't have just been coincidence that he'd heard them from Monkey Fist only a few days before. '_Well, they _were_ working together,_' he reasoned. '_He probably let her in on a few things._' Deciding that was a good enough explanation for why she had said that, he got up to leave. He was about to walk out the door when he noticed that Miss Go had left something by her desk.

"Huh, she must've forgotten her briefcase," he said, picking it up and walking out the door. "Hey Miss Go, you forgot your—" He stopped when he realized there was no one in the hall save himself. He tried to go back into the classroom only to discover that the door had locked.

"Aw man," he whined, realizing that he was now stuck with this stupid thing. He considered turning it in to the office when he realized something. '_Hey, maybe this could be the clue I was looking for…._' With that thought in mind, he pulled out his communicator and turned it on.

"Wade," he said as the supergenius appeared on the screen. "Guess what I've got here."

"Shego's briefcase," the boy replied quickly.

"Aw man, how'd you know that?"

"I'm tapped into the school's security cameras," Wade explained. "I can see everything that's going on."

"Can you tell me what's in this bag?"

"I don't know, Ron," the boy genius said uneasily. "You remember the last time you tried looking through Kim's stuff?"

Ron did remember, if only vaguely. Most of it was obscured by yelling, screaming, and the occasional smack on the back of the head. He nodded.

"How do you think Shego would react if she found out you were doing this?"

The same images filled Ron's head, though now they were mixed with green plasma and titanium claws. He shuddered.

"Good point, Wade. But this is the only way. I have to know I'm right."

Wade sighed. "Alright, I'm sending a collection drone to the front of the school. Just place the briefcase on the ground and I'll fly it over here for analysis. Don't open it; it could be booby-trapped."

"Gotcha, Wade. Coming out front now."

Right on time, an odd looking robot descended from the sky just as Ron exited the front doors. Thankfully by that time pretty much all the students had gone home or weren't paying attention, so the drone was able to pick up the briefcase without incident and Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

'_I just hope Shego doesn't find out about this. She's right; I am a coward. Especially when it comes to women who can kill me with their plasma-charged bare hands._' That last thought sent a shiver down his spine and he began to _really _hope that Shego didn't find out what had happened to her briefcase.

* * *

Shego had to admit, Monkey Fist sure knew how to choose a lair. Drakken's were always in obvious places, so easy to find that even his _mother_ managed to track him down. She chuckled at the thought. 

Drakken didn't know it, but his mother knew exactly what he did for a living. Shego had always just chalked it up as motherly love pushing her into denial, but Mama Lipsky was actually quite informed as to what was going on.

"_Oh, I know exactly what Drew does," she had said. "I just act like I'm ignorant around him to see how much he _really _wants to take over the world."_

"_Apparently not enough to let you know about it," Shego observed._

"_Exactly."_

"_So why are you telling me this?" _

"_Because I see so much potential in you, Shego," the Lipsky matron answered. "Are you sure this is what you really want to do, following my son on doomed attempts at world conquest that are never going to succeed? You're a smart girl. Why don't you strike out on your own if you really want to take over the world?"_

Shego hadn't had an answer to that at the time. Now, however, she realized that she liked the process of taking over the world more than the end result. She admitted to feeling a certain amount of excitement when Drakken had come so close to succeeding, but now she understood that her joy at the prospect would have rapidly diminished if he actually _had_ succeeded. If Drakken ruled the world, then what was her purpose? Where did she fit into his new world order?

She also realized that in order to really take over the world, Kim Possible needed to be eliminated. She'd just recently found out that she couldn't stomach the task. Fighting Kimmie was one of the few things she actually _enjoyed_ about this job. So when Drakken had come close to taking her out once and for all, she decided her employment with him was done.

In the months after that, she'd traveled the world in search of a new employer. The Seniors looked promising, but the old man still harbored some resentment from when she'd nearly separated him and his son, and quite frankly she didn't find Junior as attractive as she used to. She went to Gemini, Dr. Director's evil twin brother, only to find that she'd walked away from one Bond villain cliché right into another. She'd even spent a rather unpleasant time with Motor Ed, which was better left forgotten.

But Monkey Fist…. There was something so professional about him, so refined and elegant that she knew he was worth checking out. For one thing, he was _smart_. Cunning, too. A master planner and an even better fighter, Shego had to admit that he was the perfect boss for her. He even had a rather entertaining wit.

Their current "lair" was in an old mansion in Upperton that Monkey Fist had bought and refurbished. It seemed that his alter ego, Lord Montgomery Fiske, still had legal entitlement to his vast fortune, which he had recovered quite quickly after utilizing his newfound monkey powers to launch a series of robberies that ultimately put him right back where he started in terms of wealth.

Not that Shego was poor either. She had several Swiss accounts that contained millions of dollars apiece. Contrary to popular belief, she didn't get that money from Drakken. She hated to admit it, but most of it was royalties for Team Go merchandise that she had come up with as a way to earn money for the team. She could be quite shrewd with money when she needed to be. Now she just let the accounts collect interest, since she no longer held any legal claim to the royalties.

'_Of course by now they're practically worthless anyway,_' she thought with a smile as she flipped through the pages of her "Villainess" magazine. '_After I left, the team pretty much fell apart._'

Even though Shego preferred not to take credit for anything, she had to admit that there was a certain satisfaction to be gained from being the power behind the throne. She was the glue that held Team Go together. She was the reason Drakken had gotten as far as he did. And now she was crucial to Monkey Fist's plot to turn Ron Stoppable.

She had to admit, the boy had honestly scared her when he got a dose of Drakken's evil. One part had always confused her though: if he got all of Drakken's evil tendencies, why didn't he also inherit his incompetence? She had since come to realize that the mechanical aptitude was within him all along, and that the infusion of Drakken's evil had just jump started it. She would have never thought he could be such a gear head, but she had an explanation for that as well.

During one of their fights a couple years back, Kimmie had related to her a story of how Ron was able to recite to her exactly what she had just said, verbatim, even when it appeared that he wasn't paying attention to her. She didn't remember exactly how the subject had come up, but what mattered was that it provided her answer to why the buffoon was able to convert his tricycle into a plasma catapult: he had near perfect total-recall ability.

It was a trait she would have never suspected the boy to possess, but it all made sense now. By observing Drakken's machines and combining it with his own knowledge, Stoppable had been able to build enormous contraptions seemingly from memory, so quickly that she didn't even _notice_ them being constructed. He was smart, competent, and able to keep _her_ in line, which no one had managed to do up until the point where he threatened her with a pool of sharks. She understood completely what Monkey Fist meant about his "potential." It was the reason she had agreed to the plan.

Speaking of which….

"Shego."

"GYAH!" she screamed, jumping a full foot out of her chair. She turned around to glare at Monkey Fist. "What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?"

"Nothing, actually," he remarked smugly. "Perhaps you have me mistaken with one of your previous employers."

Shego suddenly remembered that the talk had been with Dr. Drakken, not Fiske. "Oh yeah, right," she offered sheepishly as she blushed bright green. '_Now I know how the buffoon feels._' It was a sobering thought. Her face returned to its previous state. "So what do you want me to do?"

Monkey Fist removed a sheet of paper from the pocket of his coat and handed it to her. "Don't open it," he said when he saw her fingers go to the seal. "It's not for you."

"I wasn't going to—"

He ignored her. "You are to deliver this note to Stoppable's locker tonight. Make sure you aren't seen. If anyone stops you, tell them you were just going there to look for something you left in your classroom. It doesn't matter what."

"As a matter of fact I did leave my briefcase in my room just in case I had to sneak back there for something," Shego replied. "A little trick I learned during past undercover jobs."

Monty raised his eyebrows with approval. "Excellent. You will go there immediately."

"Gotcha, boss," she agreed, standing from her chair and exiting the manor quickly.

Monkey Fist smiled once she was gone. '_Submissive little thing, isn't she? Always letting others decide for her. I must say, this plan is working out better than I ever thought it would._' With that, he gracefully sat down in the chair that Shego had been occupying and lit up his pipe.

* * *

Getting into the building had been easy enough, but now Shego was at a loss as to how to get out. 

The ceilings at Middleton High were just that—high. Even with her incredibly strong thighs, there was no way she could jump the ten meters up the air vent from which she'd had to slide down with her feet on the sides to avoid a crippling fall. And even if she did manage to grip the sides of the shaft, there was no way she could do it without making an incredible amount of noise. Given the fact that she had seen a few cars littering the parking lot, she decided not to chance it. Besides, since she wasn't wearing her normal catsuit, it would absolutely ruin her nails.

Shego had decided to go with more civilian attire so that, in the event that she was discovered, she could use the excuse Monkey Fist had suggested. She would have liked to think that her skills were enough to get in and out of there undetected, but with someone as paranoid as Mr. Barkin, she wasn't so sure. But then, she had a plan for dealing with him too.

Which was fortunate, because just as she rounded the corner, she nearly fell down as her face impacted against his well-developed chest. She backed up quickly with a sheepish expression.

"Hello, Miss Go," the Principal greeted solemnly.

Shego chuckled nervously, not so much afraid of the man himself as she was of what he could do to her cover, i.e. blow it completely. "H-hi, Mr. Barkin."

"Any reason why you're in the halls at ten o'clock at night?"

Showtime. "Oh! I… uh… forgot my briefcase in my room!"

He crossed his arms and lowered his gaze as he towered over her. "A likely story. I suppose you wouldn't mind me escorting you to your room then, seeing as, being that you're a substitute teacher, you don't have _keys_?"

"Um, sure! I'd really appreciate that!" She wasn't lying. That would save her the trouble of having to pick any locks on the way out of here. "I only got in here 'cause one of the other teachers had left the door open." He would believe that. His opinion of the other teachers was so low he was bound to think they were that careless.

The towering teacher of terror only nodded as he led her through the halls to her room. Unlocking the door, he spoke: "I assume you wouldn't mind me helping you look for your briefcase?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" Shego feigned nervousness. It was the best way to deal with him, she'd observed. If she looked like she feared him, he was that much more likely to trust her. '_Men and their egos,_' she thought. "Actually that would save me some time."

"Good then," he replied, allowing her to step inside while he followed close on her heels. She moved over to the spot where she had left the briefcase earlier that day. She reached under her desk…

…only to discover that it wasn't there. A feeling of panic shot through her as she realized how deep she was in now. She'd managed to leave the note, but if she got fired this quickly, then the whole plan would go to waste.

"Um, you know what?" she said nervously. "I just remembered that I may have left it in my car. Sorry to bother you like this." She started to move towards the door.

"Miss Go."

'_Shit._' She hung her head and slowly turned around to face him. "Y-yes, Mr. Barkin?"

"I don't suppose you're… doing anything this Saturday night, are you?" he inquired in what she noticed was a considerably more charming tone than the one he had heretofore displayed.

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, you see, normally Saturday night I go to this club downtown but I have no one to go with," he explained. "I don't suppose you'd be interested?"

She quickly caught the meaning behind the proposition and realized that it was a small price to pay for maintaining her cover. "Um, sure. I'd love to go."

"Excellent," he said as he walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Now let's get you out of here so you can get plenty of rest for tomorrow. These students are merciless."

"Uh, yeah," Shego agreed, chuckling nervously. The whole thing really was quite embarrassing to her. She knew she'd left the briefcase there earlier! What the hell happened to it? Who took it?

'_Stoppable,_' the villainess realized. '_That boy is too nice for his own good. I'm going to have to hurt him the next time I see him._'

'_Although_,' she thought as she pressed up next to Mr. Barkin's admittedly solid frame. '_This might not be too bad. He's more or less what I go for usually, and with him in my camp I can pretty much do whatever I want to Possible and get away with it. And he smells good, too._' She was beginning to like this scheming stuff.

As soon as they reached the main doors, Mr. Barkin released her and allowed her to step outside. "You have a good night, Miss Go," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Stevie," Shego replied sweetly. As soon as she turned around, a wicked grin spread across her features. '_Oh this is too good,_' she thought. '_You'd better watch out, Possible, because your entire world is about to fall apart._' She chuckled at the thought and entered her car, starting it and driving off into the night.

* * *

"Bad news, Ron," Wade said as the boy clung to his communicator like it was his last hope. And in a sense, it was. "I couldn't find anything remotely suspicious about the briefcase. It's all just standard teaching materials. And… other stuff," he added after a few moments. 

"What other stuff?"

"Feminine hygiene products," the supergenius offered nonchalantly.

"Ew! Wade!" Ron complained. "That goes beyond sick and wrong!"

"Hey, you asked," the boy said in his defense. "I managed to get the briefcase back into her room before school started. She'll never know it was missing."

"That's good." He breathed a sigh of relief. "See ya later, Wade."

"See ya."

He switched off the communicator and walked over to where Kim stood by their lockers, which had been side-by-side for as long as he could remember. "Hey, Ron!" she greeted.

"Hey, KP! We still on for Bueno Nacho after school?"

Kim shook her head. "Unfortunately no. I got another one of those special missions."

"Another one? That's two days in a row! Oh, this is so not fair!"

"Ron, we've talked about this," she said in what she hoped was a reassuring tone. To Ron, however, there was a certain insincerity to it that he just couldn't get past in his mind. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me. We'll both be going to college after this year, and I want to have somewhere solid I can turn to when I get my degree in Criminal Justice. GJ's as good a place as any."

"You mean _you'll_ be going to college next year," Ron corrected. "I'm not so sure anymore."

Kim sighed. "But I thought you said you'd try to do better so we could go to school together next year."

"No, _you _said that. I distinctly remember saying I was going to stay here."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did. Not me." '_And she says _I _can be so oblivious. Maybe if she'd learn to see the situation through someone else's eyes she'd realize that isn't always the case._'

"Oh. Well… um… sorry," she muttered sheepishly. "But you will try, won't you?"

He shook his head. "I don't know anymore, KP. I don't know if I'm willing to follow your lead the rest of my life. Maybe I need to figure this one out on my own."

She looked as though she'd never heard of such a concept in her life and was utterly appalled by it. She probably was, he realized. "But… but…" she sputtered, so completely and utterly unused to not getting her way that she found herself at a loss for words.

Ron, meanwhile, was feeling extremely proud of himself. He'd not only managed to stand up to the one person who always used to be able to tell him what to do, but he'd done it with hardly any effort at all. It both went against and satisfied his nature at the same time. In fact he would have gone a step further had the first period bell not decided to ring at that time.

"We'd… better get to class," Kim said, eager for any subject other than the one that had her flabbergasted. "Don't want you getting any more detention."

He nodded. "Let me just get my stuff out of my locker and I'll be right with you."

After she traipsed off, he opened his locker and, while not surprised to see something falling from its overly stuffed confines, was intrigued by the small piece of paper that landed by his feet. He leaned down and picked it up, then unfolded it to read its contents.

_Ron Stoppable,_

_You will meet me at the following address after school. Come alone._

A bit put off by the rather simple wording of the letter, Ron managed to track down the address without Wade's input by using the GPS function on his communicator. He recognized it as a club downtown, about a thirty minute drive on his scooter from here. He had just stowed the device away in his pocket when he ran into the one person he _didn't _want to see at the moment.

"Mr. Barkin!" he shouted, surprised even though he shouldn't be. After all, who else would be in the halls at this time?

"Late again, I see, Stoppable," the man growled. "Do you know how many tardies that makes at this point?"

"Two?" he asked hopefully.

"Three," Barkin corrected. "You know what that means."

"Detention," Ron moaned. At least it was an excuse to get out of doing what the letter said.

"Tomorrow, yes. Tonight I have a date I have to prepare for and I'd rather not waste time babysitting your sorry ass."

Ron's surprise at that statement was twofold: first, Barkin actually _had_ a date, and two, he had just used profanity. "Did you just say you have a…."

"Date, yes. You seem surprised."

He was. "Well... it's just I… never thought of…."

"Teachers dating?" Barkin chuckled. "I'm not surprised, Stoppable. Just get to class on time and we'll put this off for tomorrow."

"Gotcha, Mr. B!" Ron said as he took off running toward his first class.

"No running in the halls!"

* * *

The club was dark. That was the first thing he noticed. It was also loud. 

Occasionally, a shaft of light would cut through the darkness and briefly illuminate the surrounding area. Dozens of these rays reflected off of a disco ball that hung in the center of the dance floor. Ron found it odd that a device that had long outlived its fashionableness would be here, but it made sense, he supposed, due to the fact that this place hadn't had an update since the late '80s.

The music at least was modern. It stayed at the edge of his consciousness as he began to scan the club.

_I'm the man in the box  
Buried in my shit  
Won't you come and save me?  
Save me  
_

There was a bar at the northernmost end of the club, roped off and guarded by two bouncers to prevent minors from gaining entry. The note had said nothing about it, so he decided to ignore it for now. If he had paid attention to it for one second longer, however, he would have noticed a set of emerald eyes observing him with no small amount of intensity as they followed him across the room.

In addition to the aforementioned disco ball, the dance floor was made of polished wood with a heavy coat of wax, a remnant from this place's last renovation two decades ago. Surrounding the floor were a number of tables, which maintained the same '80s theme that for some reason really reminded Ron of Kim's parents. He idly wondered if they had been here at some point in the past.

Still no sign of anyone who could have written him a note, however. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, remembering that he had left Rufus at home. The tone of the note had made it _very_ clear that he was to come alone, and quite honestly he felt like he needed to do something for himself for once. He considered telling Kim, but she would have wanted to come. And for the first time in his life, he didn't want her to.  
_  
Feed my eyes (can you sew them shut?)  
Jesus Christ (deny your maker)  
He who tries (will be wasted)  
Feed my eyes (now you've sewn them shut)_

Finally gathering the courage to move, he started to walk towards the tables on the right side. He had no idea why, but something was guiding him towards that area. He would later learn that the unidentified force was the monkey powers he had tried so hard to bury.

'_There!_' his mind screamed out to him, focusing the feeling in his gut like a divining rod. He looked in the direction he was urged and, sure enough, there was a figure sitting alone at a table in the far corner, away from prying ears. He gulped and began to walk over there.

It is said that curiosity killed the cat, but the only thing it ever managed to do to a monkey was to make him even more curious. Indeed it was not any sort of courage that drove Ron to walk over to the table, but a genuine desire to know why exactly he had been called here.

As he approached, the figure, obscured by the darkness, appeared to lift his head. Ron knew, although he couldn't explain exactly how, that the man was grinning. Oblivious or perhaps just not caring about his present danger, he sat down.

The man spoke up in a voice with which Stoppable was intimately familiar. "So, do you remember our deal?"

"Deal?"

"You know… our _deal_." He stressed that last word in a decidedly evil tone. "The one where I let you live so long as you promise to stop making a mockery of your gift."

Ron was hit with realization, and more than a little fear. "Oh, _that_ deal! No, no, I haven't forgotten." He gulped.

A random spear of light from the dance floor illuminated Monkey Fist's face just long enough for Ron to see that the man was looking solemnly at him. "Have you been holding your end up?"

"Uh… maybe?" The boy cursed his inability to lie convincingly. "Well, actually… no."

"Oh this isn't good at all," Monty replied with false concern. "Here I was led to believe that you were a man of your word, Stoppable. Whatever shall I do with you now that you've finally proven me wrong about everything I assumed you were good for?"

"Er… not… kill me?" Ron squeaked, wishing he had at least brought Rufus along. Or better yet, Kim. But no, she _had _to get called on another one of those special missions. But then again, even without his friends here as backup, he wasn't exactly alone. "I mean, really, with all these people around?"

"You've had ninja training, haven't you, Stoppable? You know as well as I do that I could slit your throat right now and not one of these people would notice until your blood started to spread across the dance floor, by which time I would be long gone. Alternately I could slip some knockout drops into that drink in front of you, claim you got yourself drunk and take you someplace quiet to kill you."

Ron was about to take a sip of said drink when he decided that it would be best just to leave it alone. "Please don't," he begged.

Fiske chuckled. "I'm only kidding you, Ronald. What would be the point of killing you when you are so much more useful to me alive?"

"What do you mean?"

The monkey master leaned forward. "I mean, Stoppable, that the time has come to collect on our deal."

"C-collect?"

"Yes," he responded. "If you can't grow up and use your gift the way I intended you to then I guess I'll simply have to train you myself."

Ron was taken aback. "But why would you want to do that? I mean, aren't we enemies?"

"Oh come now; you really think I'm that petty?"

"Yes," Stoppable replied as he crossed his arms.

"Well you're wrong," Fiske stated firmly. "My only quarrel with you is that you seem insistent on keeping to yourself a power that was designed to be shown to the world. Not shared, mind you, but flaunted. You've had what some would call a rough time at school. Tell me: why wouldn't you capitalize on an opportunity to show all those mean kids what it means to mess with Ron Stoppable, monkey master?"

Ron shrugged. "Never really mattered that much to me. Especially when Kim loves me for who I am."

"Ah yes, Possible," Monty said flatly. "You see, that's exactly your problem: you allow her to hold you back."

"More like I hold _her_ back," the boy replied "I'll never be as good as her."

Monkey Fist scowled. "And the fact that you believe that filthy lie is the reason it is taking all of myself control not to reach across this table and strangle you right now." He leaned forward menacingly, causing Ron to draw back a bit. He chuckled inwardly, but his face maintained a stern expression. "You are a _god_, Ronald Stoppable. You have _no idea_ the powers you possess. Entire _nations_ fell before Toshimiru and his followers because he wasn't stupid enough to deny himself the power that you now possess. It is disrespecting his memory and everything the Yamanouchi school stands for, not to mention an insult to me and everyone who has ever taken an interest in the extraordinary potential in you."

"So I've heard," Ron shot back. "You told me all that before."

"And I will keep telling you until it becomes lodged in that porridge brain of yours," Fiske snarled. "Why is it that you never seem to understand what is so obviously your destiny? Why can't you see what's right in front of your face?"

"Because it's dark," the boy snapped in response, unwittingly providing the perfect answer. To him, the answer made perfect sense: it was dark in the club, and he couldn't see very well. But to Monkey Fist—and pretty much anyone else familiar with the basics of symbolism—it held a deeper meaning. The man grinned.

"Well then I'm here to shed some light on your problem." He leaned back and grabbed his drink, taking a small sip. He noticed Ron still suspiciously eyeing his own glass. He chuckled. "You can drink it if you want, you know; I was just kidding about the knockout tablets."

The boy remained leery. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because unlike you I'm a man of my word. Have I ever lied to you about anything?"

"Uh… well… no." It was true. Ron couldn't call to mind a single instance where the man had ever been _dishonest_ with him. Tricky, sure, but he always told the truth. "But I still don't see why I should drink this."

Monty shrugged. "It's not like I'm expecting you to. A coward such as yourself never takes risks like that. Possible would have ordered three more by now."

"Kim's not here."

"And she shouldn't be; it's you I'm after."

"Why does that make me want to drink this even less?"

Monkey Fist simply shrugged and took another sip of his own drink.

Ron looked at the cup in front of him. Was that all he was, a coward? He had always been fine with it until now, never giving it much thought. Non-confrontation was a way of life to him. It was what had enabled him to survive as long as he had. But how many problems had he really solved by running away from them? Camp Wannaweep still haunted his nightmares, and his continued efforts to hold in the mystical monkey power were clearly making the man across from him incensed and more focused on him. It was clear to him now that his problems ran much faster than he ever could.

Well, no time to change like the present.

With newfound bravado, Ron lifted the glass and took a swig, coughing as the seemingly acidic substance burned his insides. This wasn't alcoholic, was it? Oh man, it was. His parents were going to kill him! And why was he feeling woozy all of a sudden?

"I… I thought you said you didn't use knockout drops…" he croaked quietly as the room around him seemed as though he were standing on a giant grill, hot air obscuring his vision and making him sweat.

"Oh no, of course not," Fiske replied nonchalantly. "I used poison."

"But… why?"

He shrugged. "You should never trust a villain, Stoppable, especially when you meet them alone. It's just not smart."

Ron's last conscious action was to gargle before he slipped off into oblivion.

Monkey Fist chuckled. The boy had played into his trap perfectly. He really had used poison, though it was an extremely low dose that would only render the boy unconscious long enough to relocate him to where he was required to be for the next stage of the plan. Grabbing his coat, he stood up and walked away from the table, knowing for a fact that the boy would be found and that the next stage of his plan would be enacted. He threw a wink to where Shego sat at the bar, signaling to her that he had been successful and that the burden was now on her.

As he neared the exit, Monkey Fist grinned. Everything was going according to plan. '_Soon you will be mine, Stoppable; in every sense of the word_.'


	4. Keep Your Enemies Closer

_**Always **__is performed by Saliva_

**Chapter 3**  
Keep Your Enemies Closer

Her short red pigtails flew through the air as she executed what would have been an impressive roundhouse kick were it not for her short and stubby legs. What resulted instead was a clumsily executed attack that allowed her blonde opponent to easily step to the side and grab her foot, throwing her to the ground.

She sprang up quickly, stubborn as ever and eager to get another shot at the boy who kept besting her. It seemed highly odd to six year old Kim Possible that her best friend Ron Stoppable would be so good at something right off the bat. Usually it took him a few dozen more tries than the rest of his peers to catch on. But his movements seemed almost… natural. As if he didn't require instruction—he knew it by instinct.

Still, she had been training for several months longer than he had, and she wasn't about to get shown up in front of her sensei and the rest of the class. She charged at him, fist held high, intent on knocking him to the ground. The boy simply waited until she got close enough and then rolled out of the way, keeping one leg firmly in place to trip her and sent her tumbling to the ground once more.

For his part, Ron was simply losing himself in the glory of the fact that he was finally better at something than his friend Kim. Her motto, for the two years he had known her, had always been, "Anything's possible for a Possible." He found it somewhat arrogant, but also true. She had a knack for mastering just about anything on her first try, and he found this rather frustrating at times; though at only six years old his ways of expressing that frustration were limited. And so when he discovered that he was a natural at martial arts and she wasn't, he naturally got a big head.

Kim growled and charged him again, the tears practically boiling in her eyes. He failed to notice them, however, when he side-stepped the attack and stuck out his arm, clothes-lining her. She made a choked gasp and hit her head hard on the thin carpet that barely covered a hard slab of concrete.

"C'mon, KP, get up!" he taunted. The fun was just beginning.

She did as he urged, her face locked in a grimace. She made one last foolhardy charge at him, aiming to tackle him to the ground.

She never got the chance.

Side-stepping once again, Ron grabbed Kim by her wrist and used her momentum against her to send the girl stumbling several steps forward. It was a novel strategy; he'd noticed early on that her main style seemed to focus a lot on striking, so naturally grapples and judo techniques—even though he didn't know what those were yet—were the most effective against her. He allowed her to come to him, then turned the tables on her with a counter. It had gone on like this for several minutes now. Ron decided to end the fight then and there.

She charged at him again, barreling down on his position like a toro. Ron stepped to the side and extended his leg, smashing his foot directly into Kim's face and bloodying her nose, which sent her crashing to the ground.

Ron froze. Time seemed to slow as his best friend fell back, trails of blood following her rapid descent like tiny red streamers. The realization of what he had just done drowned him in guilt, forcing him into action.

"KP!" he cried before closing the distance between them in a breath. Out of instinct, he ripped off the sleeve of his gi and pressed it tight over the girl's nose, trying to stop the bleeding. "I'm so sorry, KP," he nearly choked. "I'm so sorry. I'll never hurt you again."

Even as the worried students and their sensei started to huddle around them, trying to help, he refused to let go. As he held the trembling Kim in his arms, he repeated one sentence over and over:

"I'll never hurt you again."

* * *

He was asleep. 

At least, he thought he was. More accurately he was in the process of waking up, being pulled forth from the void by distant voices that seemed to call out to him in a language he could not understand. Or perhaps he just couldn't hear them that well.

As he listened closer, he heard them saying something. Frond? No, it sounded more like… prawn? That couldn't be it…. Ron?

Ron!

Yes, that was his name; the monosyllabic utterance that set him apart from his peers. He didn't hate it, but he didn't particularly like it either. It was just an… ordinary name. True, the surname "Stoppable" made him more unique, but it also carried with it connotations that were less than savory.

But that was not why hearing it screamed at him caused him to jump up in shock, fully awake. It was because he recognized the voice that shouted it.

"Shego!" he declared in a panic. Why the hell was she here with him? Where _was_ "here?" Not even giving her a chance to explain the situation from him, he sat up quickly and attempted to escape, running on pure adrenaline.

"Whoa, hey, easy, Stoppable," the pale woman said as she held him down to keep him from leaping off the bed. "You're fine. You're in the hospital where Kimmie's mom works. Just calm down."

Taking a series of deep breaths like Sensei had taught him, Ron tried to relax. Slowly the memories came back to him. Memories of the last few days. Memories of how Shego was their friend now, not their enemy. As he became more at ease, Shego let go of him and returned to her chair at the side of his bed.

Now that he had calmed down, Ron took a minute to observe his surroundings. Shego had been telling the truth; this was the hospital alright. A machine to his right beeped with mechanical regularity, fading quickly to the back of his consciousness as he took in the other details of the room. The tile floor was white, as he expected, matching the eggshell color of the walls and ceiling. Looking down at his arm, he saw an IV needle stuck in the back of his hand.

"What happened?"

Shego smiled. "Found you passed out at the club. You'd been poisoned, so I took you here."

"Oh, that makes—wait! What were _you_ doing at the club?!" Ron demanded to know.

"I was on a date with Stevie," the woman answered honestly.

"Stevie…. You mean Mr. Barkin?!" He was horrified.

Shego chuckled at his reaction. '_Just like the sidekick to freak out._' "Yeah. You ever notice how all the guys I'm with have his body type?"

"So it's not his personality?"

She shook her head in amusement. "Oh, and what's not attractive about a borderline psychotic with an anger problem who has an ego the size of Nevada?"

"Uh… everything you just said."

"Sarcasm, Stoppable."

"Oh, right."

There was a brief pause before Ron decided to speak up again. "So where's Kim?"

"Still on her mission. I got in touch with Wade and he let her know. She's on her way over here."

A dark look crossed Ron's features. "Figures. I'm always there for her when she needs me, but where is she when _I _need _her_?!"

"Off saving the world because you didn't tell her where you were going."

"Oh yeah, eh heh, right."

A few moments of silence passed. "Thanks," Ron said finally.

Shego smiled genuinely. "No problem. Kimmie would kill me if anything were to happen to you."

"I doubt she'd stop there," chuckled Ron. "KP's always been an overachiever."

"Exactly," Shego agreed. "Why _were_ you at the club anyway?" She already knew, of course; she just wanted to see how much the sidekick trusted her.

A lot, apparently, judging by the honesty of his response. "I got a note in my locker. It said to come alone."

'_Huh. Maybe this'll be easier than I thought. He's certainly a lot more trusting than Kimmie,_' Shego observed as her eyes studied the boy in front of her. '_Or maybe he's just so optimistic that he'll see the good in anybody. That explains why he was willing to come alone. Or… is there something else here that I'm missing?_'

She decided to find out. "Who was the note from?"

"Monkey Fist," he muttered grimly.

Shego nodded in understanding. "Came to collect on his deal, huh?"

"How did you know about that?"

"Uh, hello? I was working for him until a few days ago."

"Oh yeah, right."

"So what'd you tell him?"

Ron shrugged. "I told him he was wasting his time. That I wasn't worth it. That he should just leave me alone."

"I think you and I both know Monty doesn't leave things alone."

"Yeah, tell me about it," grumbled Ron. "That man takes the word 'obsession' to a whole new level."

"The monkey hands and feet?"

"The monkey hands and feet."

There was another pause as the two sidekicks stared at each other as though trying to read the other's mind. This time it was Shego who broke the silence. "You know normally I have to tell people I'm up here," she said, indicating her face. "But you've been staring at my eyes the entire time."

"You don't interest me," Ron said without thinking. Catching Shego's glare, he blushed and tried quickly to correct his statement. "Er… not that you're not attractive…. I mean you are, it's just… I'm with KP now… so…."

Shego cut him off with a giggle. "It's alright, Stoppable. I know what you meant. Actually it's kinda nice to be around someone of the opposite sex and know they're not interested in me that way."

"That why you stuck with Drakken for so long?"

'_Holy shit he's observant,_' Shego thought. '_I definitely can't call him "buffoon" after this. I'm beginning to realize what Princess sees in him._'

"Yeah," she replied after a moment, managing to hide most of the shock in her voice. "The guy is completely asexual. Hell, the only reason I know he went through puberty was because he lost his towel once coming out of the shower and I saw him naked." She shuddered. "That is a sight I would not wish on my worst enemy."

"Uh… yeah. I'm gonna forget you ever mentioned that," said Ron.

"Good idea," Shego agreed.

They both stared at each other for a few moments before busting into laughter. After the last giggle escaped her lips, Shego wiped a few errant tears from her eyes and was about to say something when she heard a knock at the door.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Nah, we're cool, Mrs. Dr. P. What's up?"

In response, Anne dug into one of the pockets of her lab coat and retrieved a small bundle of pink flesh. "Somebody missed you," she said.

"Rufus!"

Upon hearing his master's voice, Rufus leapt from Dr. Possible's hand and onto the bed, where he scurried up Ron's body to give his best friend a hug.

Shego watched the reunion with a smile. There was just something so… endearing about the interaction between Ron and his pet that she could not tear her eyes away from the sight. She did look away, however, when Dr. Possible tapped her on the shoulder.

"I think we should leave these two alone for right now," suggested Anne. Shego nodded and got up from her chair. The two ladies walked out of the room.

"How's he doing?"

"Okay. He's definitely not too embarrassed to be telling the truth."

"So Monkey Fist really did corner him?"

"Not so much 'cornered' as lured him into a trap," corrected Shego. "That boy is just too gullible."

Anne nodded in agreement. "He's definitely naïve. Kimmie always had to look out for him."

"I'm not tryin' to hurt you by sayin' this, so don't take it the wrong way," Shego said, "but I don't think Kimmie and Stoppable have the healthiest relationship."

"Oh don't worry; I've thought the same thing many times," Dr. Possible assured her. "But I've learned to stay out of Kimmie's way in these sorts of things. She can be so stubborn sometimes."

"You're tellin' _me_?" scoffed Shego. "You're talkin' to a woman who used to _fight_ her on a regular basis."

"About that," Anne said, "I've learned to trust Kimmie's judgment on these sorts of things, so I'm going to have to ask that you please not get offended."

"I'll try my hardest, Doc."

Dr. Possible took a deep breath and continued: "I'm not so sure you've really gone good."

"I haven't," Shego answered honestly. Before Anne could protest, she explained, "But I'm not evil anymore either. I'm neutral. An anti-hero or whatever you wanna call it."

"Someone who does the right things for the wrong reasons." Anne crossed her arms and leveled her gaze at the pale woman.

Shego, like Atlas, shrugged. "And I'm makin' no apologies about it. But I'm not tryin' to hurt your daughter anymore."

It was a lie, and both women knew it. Before either could say anything though, another voice spoke up. "Well that's good to hear."

They turned to face Kim, who had just arrived. "I'd hate to have to make a scene in the hospital."

Shego grinned and crossed her arms. "Well look who finally decided to show up."

"Hey, I was on a mission!" Kim said in her defense.

"And you didn't get anybody to babysit Stoppable? Some girlfriend you are."

"Ron's not a child! He's perfectly capable of looking after himself!"

"He's also lying in a hospital bed."

"And how exactly is that _my _fault?" challenged Kim.

Shego smirked. "You and I both know the only reason he went alone is because he wasn't allowed to come on _your_ missions."

"We have an understanding about those!"

"Do you now? Because it seems to me like you made the decision for him in your head and never actually communicated it with him. That's the same reason you didn't know he's not planning on going to college."

"Oh he's going, one way or the other."

"Oh really? You gonna make him?"

"Why are you getting on my case about this?!" Kim finally exploded.

"Because someone has to," Shego replied honestly.

"Whatever," Kim grumbled. "Is he awake?"

"Yes," Dr. Possible cut in. "He's catching up with Rufus, but it's still visiting hours. You can go on in whenever you're ready."

"Thanks," she grumbled and walked to the door, opening it without even knocking.

There was a tense silence before Anne said what she had been about to say before Kim arrived. "You didn't really come here for Kim, did you?" The use of her daughter's preferred name told Shego that the woman was serious.

She smirked anyway. "How'd ya guess?"

"Based on that interaction you just had I'd say you're getting along better with Ronald than you are with her."

"Not gonna disagree with ya there. Seems like we still fight even though technically we're no longer enemies."

"Kimmie's a very competitive person," Anne agreed, nodding her head. The two watched for a moment through the shutterless window to Ron's room as Kim literally picked up Rufus and set the naked mole rat aside.

"You think she's jealous that I was there to help Stoppable and she wasn't?"

"I don't think I need to answer that question."

"Because the answer is 'duh,'" Shego snickered. "That's the thing about heroes: they're more interested in being recognized for saving the day than actually saving it."

"Don't you think you're making a generalization?"

"Can you think of a counterexample?"

Anne just smirked. "Ron."

"Okay, you're gonna have to explain that one to me."

"It's simple, Shego. He lets Kimmie take the lead on missions, agrees with her on almost everything, and avoids the spotlight like the plague."

"You obviously didn't see him when he got the 99 million dollars in Naco royalties."

"Oh, I did, Shego. That was one of the few times he actually stepped out of Kim's shadow. And how did Kimmie react?"

Shego grinned as she remembered. "She got more irritated with him over that than anything I did to her over the years. She hates not being the best."

"Byproduct of her upbringing, I'm afraid. James and I have always tried to teach her humility, but…."

"She comes off sounding more like Miss America?" Shego finished for her.

"Exactly."

Shego laughed. "Y'know, not a lot of mothers would be this critical of their daughters."

"Oh, I still love Kimmie with all my heart. I just don't know if what she's doing is the right thing."

"Can't disagree with ya there."

They both turned their attention back to Ron's room. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that they were having a fight. What _was_ surprising was the fact that Kim seemed to be _losing_. She looked sheepish and constantly turned away from Ron, who appeared as though he was yelling. Neither of them could hear it, but they didn't need to. Their actions spoke louder than any words could.

After a few seconds Kim stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"KIMBERLY ANNE POSSIBLE!"

At her mother's reprimand, Kim paled considerably, her skin tone almost matching Shego's. "Sorry," she squeaked.

"This is a hospital, young lady!" Anne scolded. "There are patients that don't need to be disturbed just because you're throwing a little temper tantrum. Now do you mind telling me what that was all about?"

She looked at the floor. "It's nothing."

Dr. Possible knew she was lying. She had been the girl's mother for nearly 18 years; she knew the signs. Hands held in front of the waist, arms straight but not completely rigid, head tilted downward, toe grinding into the floor. Together these actions told Anne exactly what her daughter was feeling at the moment: shame.

"I have patients to take care of," she said suddenly. Kim relaxed. "But we _will_ talk about this later," she warned, smirking internally when she saw her daughter tense up again in fear. She walked off.

"I'd better get going too," Shego said. "You need a ride home, Kimmie?"

"No, I kinda left my mission half-completed," Kim replied sheepishly. "I have to go back and finish it."

"Whatever," was Shego's reply.

They stared at each other intensely before walking off in opposite directions.

* * *

Ron returned to school the next day as though nothing had happened. Nobody asked him any questions. Nobody stopped him to ask if he was alright. Nobody noticed him at all. 

Basically, it was just another day at school.

He wasn't expecting any different from the student body that basically rejected him at any given opportunity. Being ignored was actually a step up from what he usually endured. Not that it was any better, but at least he didn't have to put up with physical and verbal abuse from the other students.

Ever since Shego had started teaching at the school, people had started leaving him alone. Maybe it was because they were too enraptured with the pale-skinned former villainess to even notice him. Shego tended to have that kind of effect on people. Nothing, however, prepared him for what the real reason was that people were staying out of his way.

The mystery of why he had suddenly gone from village idiot to town leper was soon solved when the one person who wouldn't stop teasing him for the world walked up to him and decided to do just that.

"So, Loser, I heard you were in the hospital yesterday," Bonnie Rockwaller sneered. "What happened? Your pants fell down and you tripped over them and fell down a cliff?"

"That was one time!" Ron protested. "And no, as a matter of fact, I was poisoned."

Bonnie's smirk disappeared for a moment as she felt a pang of guilt, but the wicked grin soon returned in full force. "And here I thought you'd have built up a tolerance to the mystery meat."

"Ugh, don't even say that! My stomach gets all flippy. No, it wasn't the mystery meat. Someone slipped poison into my drink."

"You were _drinking_?! Wait'll Kim gets a load of this."

"She already _knows_, Bon-Bon," Ron shot back, using the nickname to get under the girl's skin. "It wasn't my idea anyway. I didn't even know it was alcoholic till I took a sip."

"Whatever. You're still a loser."

"Don't ya think it's a _little_ unfair to be pickin' on the loner?" a familiar voice said from behind Bonnie. Turning around, the brunette saw the school's new substitute teacher, Miss Go. "I mean, Kimmie's not even here to protect his sorry butt. How fun can that be?"

"Stay out of this!" Bonnie ordered. "It's none of your business!"

"Oh really?" Shego said, her grin turning predatory. "I got news for ya, Bon-Bon. Anything that happens on school grounds _is_ my business, especially students harassing other students. Do I need to send you to the Principal's office?"

Rockwaller scoffed. "You can't do that to me."

"We'll see what Mr. Barkin has to say about that," said Shego as she turned to the side and cupped one hand over her mouth. "Hey, Stevie!"

For someone so big, Mr. Barkin moved awfully fast, Ron noticed. He was there within ten seconds. "Yes, Miss Go?"

"Miss Rockwaller here was harassing Stoppable by taunting him about going to the hospital yesterday," Shego reported, noticing that Bonnie's smirk had completely disappeared and was now replaced with an expression of abject fear. "She called him a loser a couple of times, too. What do you think we should do about that?" She winked.

"Well that's obvious," Mr. Barkin answered, crossing his arms. "Give her detention."

"What?!" Bonnie shrieked. "But I'm a cheerleader! Cheerleaders don't _get_ detention!"

"They do now!" roared Barkin. "I'll see you today at 1500 hours sharp! Late and it'll be a _week_ of detention!"

"But-but you can't do that to me!" Rockwaller protested. "I have cheer practice tonight!"

"So did Possible when I gave her detention," Barkin countered. "And she went not once, not twice, but _three __times. _And _she's_ the squad leader, not you. I'm sure they'll manage just fine without you."

"But—"

"No 'buts,' Rockwaller! I better see you today in detention or you're off the squad!"

That shut Bonnie up. She turned around and walked away with her figurative tail between her legs.

Ron stood there in shock for a second before turning to the pair of teachers. "Wow, that was… lucky," he said.

"Don't mention it, Stoppable," Barkin replied. "She was in the wrong, therefore she gets punished. You see how that works, don't you?"

Ron nodded. "So I guess I'll see you in detention today too?"

Much to Ron's surprise, Mr. Barkin shook his head. "No, Stoppable, you're off the hook. Miss Go here informed me that you had an appointment with her after school. I'm willing to cancel your detention just this once. Besides, if I stick you in there with Rockwaller, the detention room will turn into a madhouse."

"Wow, uh… thanks, Mr. Barkin," Ron managed.

"My pleasure, Stoppable," the gigantic teacher replied before walking off.

Ron turned to Shego. "Um… thanks."

"Don't mention it," the pale woman replied.

"No, really, I mean it. You didn't have to do that for me."

"I didn't do it for you. You really do have an appointment with me this afternoon."

"For what?"

Shego grinned. "You wanna know what Kimmie does on her secret missions?"

"Uh… yeah…."

"Today after school we're breaking into GJ headquarters. Checkin' out an experiment of theirs. It's something you'll definitely wanna see."

"But what does this have to do with Kim?" Ron wondered.

"You'll see," the green female replied enigmatically. "What, are ya chicken?"

"Well… no, it's just… isn't that illegal?"

"Only if we get caught," Shego said. "Which we won't. Trust me, we'll be in and out without them ever knowing we were there."

"I don't know about this…" Ron said hesitantly.

"Trust me."

Ron sighed. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Nope, not really," Shego said with a smirk.

"Aw man…."

"You'll be fine," she giggled as she punched him softly in the shoulder. "Now come on, let's get to class. Don't want Stevie to reneg on the whole detention deal."

"How'd you get him to reconsider anyway?" Ron asked out of curiosity.

"Do you have an aversion to graphic descriptions of sexual acts?"

"Yes!" Ron said a little louder than he would have liked.

"Then you don't wanna know."

"Probably not…" Ron agreed.

* * *

The mind's eye was a difficult concept to understand, and even more difficult to control. Thoughts tended to wander, after all, and it was a tough exercise in concentration just to remain focused on something when one's mind locked on to it. 

It was, however, second nature to the elder Japanese man who sat meditating on a raised pedestal in the courtyard of the secret ninja school. Repetition was the key. Thinking of the same thing over and over again until it was all that occupied one's mind. Occasionally, though….

'_Oh, dear. I did not mean to spy…_' the old man started to apologize before he realized that the person did not notice his astral form. '_Most sorry indeed,_' he said before slipping out of the shower.

'_I must remember to stop surfing around on the internet,_' the old man thought to himself. '_And I _certainly _must remember to stop peeking in my spam folder. Many distressing things have I found in there. Some are interesting, however._' He let his thoughts drift for a moment…

…and soon found himself back in the shower. '_Curses! I must return my focus to Stoppable-san! Mystical power is not to be used for voyeurism!_' He took a closer look at the woman before him. '_Well, maybe later…_' he thought.

Now returning his focus to the Chosen One, the old man found himself catapulted across the globe, to a school of some kind. He watched the exchange that took place with much interest.

'_Oh dear,_' he thought. '_I fear Stoppable-san's devotion will be tested soon. I must warn Yori of this._' He thought about that for a second. '_Right after I take care of a matter of business…_' he decided.

The woman in the shower could not shake the feeling that someone was watching her. She shrugged her shoulders. Oh well….

* * *

'_Ninja training so totally rocks!_' 

That thought was lodged in Ron's head as he followed Shego through the darkened air vent. There was, however, just enough light for him to catch some rather… interesting views of the former villainess.

At least, they would have been interesting were it not for the fact that if she caught him staring, bad things would happen. Plus, as he'd told her earlier, she really didn't interest him. Being a teenage male, he'd "noticed" her a few times before, but the fact that she was always trying to take the head off of his best friend sort of put a damper on those feelings.

Surprisingly enough, his relationship with Kim was not the reason he didn't feel any sort of attraction to Shego. It was, rather ironically, because he was starting to see Shego the way he used to see Kim.

Sure, KP was his girlfriend, but Shego was starting to fill the role that Kim had left behind when the status of their relationship changed the night of the prom. She was there for him when he needed to talk to her, which was quite a lot lately given KP's almost absentee status these days.

'_Darn special missions. What makes her more deserving to go on those than me?_'

A few weeks ago, the thought would never have occurred to him. But his new friendship with Shego had started to affect his thought process. Before he would just dismiss any thought that conflicted with his devotion to Kim, but now he was starting to actually consider these internal protests.

'_I mean sure, she's freaking amazing, but I've got potential. GJ didn't call it "The Kim Factor," after all. They wanted to study _me_! What's different now?_'

'_They finally figured out that they were wasting their time,_' another part of his brain answered. In spite of his quickly developing backbone, Ron still had more than a few nagging doubts in the back of his head.

Ron shook his head and turned his attention back to the task at hand. '_Okay, now I finally get to see what KP does on these special missions. Let's just hope I don't get caught._'

It suddenly occurred to Ron that his only worry was for himself. He didn't doubt the woman in front of him for even a second. '_That's how it used to be with Kim…. Before she got all mysterious on me._'

It was true that he'd never had to worry about his best friend on missions before, except for the rare occasions where she actually got captured. Monkey Fist's words had made him start to realize just how much this tendency to trust Kim completely extended into parts of his life that weren't directly mission-related. Now, however, he was actually starting to question her a little.

'_Of course it doesn't help that she's not completely honest with me,_' he observed. '_Then again I'm not telling her the whole truth either. Whatever happened to not keeping secrets from each other?_'

His eyes grew wide with epiphany.

'_Yamanouchi._'

Before his visit to the secret ninja school, Ron had been completely honest with Kim; much to her chagrin at times ("tact" was a concept which he was just beginning to grasp). But after he had been sworn to secrecy, Ron had gotten better at lying to his best friend. Of course she had seen through those first few flimsy attempts at deceit right away, but recently he'd been able to lie to her with a straight face.

Like he had the day before.

He had tried to convince himself that he was doing this for Kim's good, but the nagging voices in his mind begged to differ. '_So what if she's lying to you? You should set an example_.'

'_But__ KP's always been the example-setter. I'm just the sidekick._'

'_That is a lie and you know it._'

Ron paused for a second. That last remark had not been in his own voice.

'_Monkey Fist?_'

'_Ah, I see you've learned how to communicate telepathically with the mystical monkey power. Most wonderful indeed. I was afraid I would have to meet with you in person again._'

'_Uh, actually I didn't mean to do that. I'm not even sure what this is._'

Monkey Fist's voice explained. '_What you are doing right now is an advanced technique granted by the mystical monkey power. I won't get into the name of it right now; it's irrelevant anyway._'

'_So you can read my thoughts?_'

'_Would I have been able to offer a rebuttal to your self doubt if I wasn't?_'

'_That's true. Can I read yours?_'

'_Only the ones I choose to project. That's another technique that I'll have to teach you someday._'

Even though he was sure Monkey Fist couldn't see it, Ron scowled. He would be able to sense his indignation at the very least, if his mind-reading capabilities were as advanced as he claimed. '_And what makes you think I'd train with you?_'

'_You will find out soon enough,_' the voice replied mysteriously.

'_What's that supposed to—_' Ron began, but he was cut off for some reason. That reason was currently holding him by the waist.

"Get a grip, Stoppable," Shego whispered harshly. "You almost fell over the edge into those lasers!"

He looked down and saw that this was indeed the case. A grid of lasers, similar to the one he and Kim had faced on the girl's first mission, occupied almost all of the large room. The nearest one was only a scant few inches from his face.

"What happened?" he whispered back.

"Your eyes started glowing blue and you crawled right past me," Shego explained. "I barely caught you in time."

The calmness of her tone confused Ron. "And you're not freaking out because…."

"Nothing bad happened," Shego replied, and then warned, "Yet."

Ron gulped. "Do ya think you could pull me up, please? My pants have a tendency to fall off, you know."

"So wear a goddamn belt," Shego growled before effortlessly hoisting him back into the vent.

The volume of their conversation was up to everyday levels by now. Neither of them saw any point in whispering in an environment where no human guards were needed anyway.

"So what was with the whole glowing blue eyes thing?" Shego asked.

"Huh? Oh, right. That happens whenever I use the mystical monkey power. I was talking to Monkey Fist."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing, really. He just explained the whole tele… telepothe… telehe…."

"Telepathy," Shego finished for him.

"Right, that. He told me about the whole talking with my mind thing, and then I got cut off."

"Think you could summon a little bit of that monkey power again?"

Ron was confused. "You want me to talk to my arch-enemy again?"

Shego shook her head. "No, I just don't wanna have to drag your ass through those lasers if I don't have to. I've seen what Fiske can do at full power. From what he told me, you're even better. So get with the monkey magic, potential boy."

"How'd you know Kim's nickname for me?"

"I used to spy on you and Princess," Shego offered nonchalantly.

"Oh, right, 'cause of the enemies thing."

"Pretty much."

They stared at each other for a moment before Shego cracked a smile. "Look, I know I've called you a 'buffoon' in the past, but you're actually pretty competent."

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not. I've been doin' a lot of thinking about why Drakken's plans always used to fail."

"Because he's stupid?"

"No, he's _insane_," Shego corrected. "There's a difference. He was smart enough to build devices that were way beyond the current level of technology possessed by any of the authorities, but he was too crazy to actually use them practically."

"That makes sense, I guess. So what does this have to do with anything?"

Shego smiled. "Like I said, he was too crazy to possess any sort of common sense. He thinks like a toddler. Whoever makes the biggest noise and draws the most attention to themselves is the one he's gonna blame when things go wrong."

"And who's that?"

"Kimmie."

"But I thought _I_ was the distraction."

"That's where you're wrong, Stoppable. Who blew up all those machines over the years?"

Ron thought about that for a minute. "Uh… me."

"And who was the one who diverted my attention by fighting me?"

"Kim."

Shego chuckled. "I don't see how you haven't figured this out by now."

"Figured what out?"

"Look, I'm gonna make this real simple for you, Stoppable. I may be dangerous, but I don't pose as big a threat as some of Dr. D's doomsday devices."

"Ooh, nice alliteration!" Ron supplied randomly.

"You know what that word means?" Shego asked in surprise.

"It was on yesterday's vocab test."

"Ah. Try and focus here."

"Yes ma'am."

Shego grinned and continued. "Anyway, my point is that the devices were more integral to the plans than I was. But who did Kimmie always go after?"

"Uh… you."

"Exactly. And what did you do while we were facing off?"

"Blew up the machine."

Shego raised a single eyebrow and smirked. "So who's the real distraction?"

Ron closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to figure out what Shego was saying. All of a sudden it hit him. "Kim!" he declared. "Kim's the distraction!"

Shego smiled and patted Ron on the shoulder. "See, I knew you weren't a buffoon. You just… take a while to catch on."

Stoppable was still in shock from the epiphany he'd just had. "So if Kim's the distraction then…."

"You're the real hero," Shego finished for him. "So whaddaya say we get through those lasers?"

Ron found himself feeling something he'd never allowed himself before. Something he'd let go of all those years ago when he swore to Kim that he'd always come second to her. Something forbidden that now beckoned him; that called out to him and ran like a drug through his veins.

Confidence.

Grinning, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were glowing blue.

Shego smiled. "Let's go," she said.

That was all the incentive Ron needed to drop down through the air vent, grabbing a hold of the edge and flipping himself upside down so that he hung like a bat from the ceiling.

Without thinking, he let go with his hands and, staying there for just a moment as though attached to the ceiling via some sort of mystical adhesive, propelled himself downward to a clear spot on the floor to land in a perfect handstand. He allowed his elbows to flex and then suddenly pushed off again, vaulting through the air to another empty spot.

He looked up to Shego, who was staring at him with her mouth agape. She'd never seen anyone move so… fluidly in such an environment. It was as though he didn't even have to think about where he was going; the monkey power did it for him. She was just about to join him when she noticed something.

The lasers started to move.

'_Shit!_' she cursed. "Ron, get out of there!" she yelled as loud as she could while still maintaining a whisper.

Ron, however, was already moving, twisting his body into positions that were impossible for the average human to perform. They were, however, well within normal limits for monkeys, she noticed. She watched half in fear, half in awe as he performed death defying feats of acrobatics that even a person such as herself could only dream of achieving.

And he was doing it effortlessly.

Twisting his body into a tight corkscrew, Ron narrowly avoided two beams that crisscrossed behind him, then separated again to resume their patrols. He landed on one hand and did the splits, allowing a horizontal sweeping beam to pass harmlessly overhead (or was that over-feet?). Lowering himself onto the floor, he spun on his back like a break-dancer in an effort to avoid the numerous lasers that surrounded him and made several passes at his body.

Tucking his legs to his chest, Stoppable continued the spin until there was enough of an opening in the grid of lasers for him to reach out with both his hands and perform a series of twisting back handsprings that finally freed him of the deathtrap.

Reaching out with his finger, he pressed the button that deactivated the lasers.

"Ah booyah," he said smugly.

Shego managed to gather her wits long enough to drop from the ceiling. "Ron, that was… amazing," she breathed.

"Like KP always says, no big."

"No, that was very, _very _big," Shego disagreed. "That was incredible."

"It wasn't me, actually," Ron tried to dismiss. "It was just the monkey power."

Shego shook her head in amusement. '_So humble…. And not in a fake way like Kimmie either._' "Well whatever it was, it was freaking amazing. Think you can keep that up?"

"I dunno; it comes and goes."

"Only because you let it."

That last comment gave Ron pause. "Huh?"

"You heard me. Don't be afraid to give yourself a little credit here and there. Even with my powers I would have been cut to bits by those lasers. But you…. You did it so… effortlessly."

Ron rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, the monkey power's a lot better at the dodging stuff than I am. It sorta just takes over."

Shego's face turned serious. "Okay, look. First of all, the only reason your power controls you is because you can't bring yourself to try and control it. From what Monty tells me it'd be so easy for someone with your potential if you just tried. Second…." She paused.

"Second… what?"

She sighed and continued, "Second, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, but… this isn't the first time you've impressed me."

"Really?" The question was not asked in earnest but instead in confusion.

She smiled. "Yeah. I mean, you remember that time you turned evil? Nobody's been able to keep me in line my entire life. But you…. You were different. I was honestly scared of you."

"Yeah, well, I don't plan on turning evil anytime soon so you can relax."

"Still doesn't change the fact that you did everything Dr. D couldn't and then some. Hell if it weren't for Kimmie who knows how far we could have gone as partners in crime?"

"Not very," Ron said, turning away from her. "Eventually Zorpox would have grown tired of your sass and fed you to the sharks." Without waiting for a response, he opened the door to the adjacent hall and walked through.

Shego stood there, stunned. The nerve it took to say something like that must have been tremendous, and yet Stoppable had tossed it as easily as an everyday phrase. '_He's getting braver,_' she thought. '_Monty'll be happy to hear this._'

She wasn't sure how Ron would react to the plan, but if what she had brought him here to see was as potent a catalyst as she hoped, then it would be all too easy to turn him evil. Of course, what would happen then?

Only time would tell.

* * *

A single eye watched two figures on the security cameras. One female, one male. The female was well-known by the silent observer. She had been the subject of nearly all of her organization's surveillance for the last few weeks. Hidden cameras and microphones, wiretaps (with warrants, of course), and even an agent plant had all been dispatched in the hopes of catching her with blood on her hands. And here she had come right to them. 

The male, on the other hand, was unexpected. He had once been subject to the same surveillance, only he had been aware of it and was okay with it. He had long since ceased to be a concern of the organization, since whatever skill he possessed was apparently impossible to duplicate. This idea was reinforced by the performance the one-eyed woman had just seen.

'_Wonder why that didn't show up in the tests,_' she mused. '_That would certainly have helped the agent program if we were to learn how to copy it. Well, that's still possible._'

A sly grin spread across her face as she pressed the call button on her desk. Soon she would have two birds in her hand, and she didn't even have to throw the stone.

* * *

"Geez, does Betty have a laser fetish or what?" Shego wondered aloud as they made their way through yet another laser grid. 

Ron stayed silent. Due to the fact that the monkey power took over all conscious control of his brain when at full power, he was unable to speak during that time. Not that talking would be particularly useful in this situation. Stealth was key. Shego had just made the remark because she was bored.

The duo passed the lasers with little effort. Once they were clear of the grid, Ron's eyes returned to their usual chocolate brown. "Yeah, you'd think she'd be a little more original with the booby traps," he said now that he could talk. He had heard her comment earlier, but he had not yet figured out how to retain his intellect when slipping into monkey mode.

"And yet she's silly enough to just steal the security Drakken and the others used to use on their lairs," Shego quipped. "There's not a single thing in here I haven't seen before."

"You ever notice how similar GJ is to the super villains?" Ron asked.

"Huh?"

"Well, think about it. They both have ridiculously large amounts of cash, extremely advanced technology, a bunch of muscle bound goons, and the ability to hack into any computer or satellite network on Earth without being part of any recognized government. The only difference is what side of the law they fall on."

Again Shego was amazed by Ron's perceptiveness. '_Why the hell does he act like such an idiot when he's anything but?_' she wondered. "That's… interesting."

"You think it's stupid, don't you?"

"What? No, I don't think it's stupid," Shego insisted. "I think it's awfully perceptive of you. You're not as big of an idiot as you let on."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Good, 'cause I meant it as one."

"For real?"

"For real."

They shared a smile before turning their attention back to the mission.

"We're getting close. Keep your mouth shut."

'_Okay._'

Shego's expression grew puzzled. She could have sworn she heard Stoppable's voice, but it sounded like it was coming from inside her head.

'_Stoppable? That you?_'

'_Yeah. This is what I was doing earlier when I almost fell out of the vent. I think I've got a better sense of where I'm going this time now that I'm not so distracted and I know how to use it.'_

'_How am I communicating with you? Am I projecting my thoughts?_'

'_No, I'm just reading them. And a few others as well._'

'_What others?_'

'_Others involving that little thing you keep in your leg pouch._'

'_My nail file?_'

'_The other thing._'

Shego's eyes grew wide. '_Stay out of my head, Stoppable!_'

'_Why should I?_'

'_I'll... I'll think dirty thoughts!_'

'_I'm a teenage boy. I think dirty thoughts all the time. What kind of a threat is that?_'

'_So you're saying you wouldn't be bothered if I started thinking about, say… Stevie?_' Shego grinned devilishly as she began to think of the night before and what she had done to make him "reconsider."

'_AAAAH! Make it stop! Make the horrible mental images stop!_'

'_Promise not to snoop around my mind anymore?_'

'_I promise! Just turn it off!_'

'_Fine. Now let's be professional about this._' She looked around. '_Where are you anyway?_'

'_My monkey power says we should take separate routes. That way they stand a harder chance at catching both of us. We can stay in contact this way._'

'_Sounds like a plan. Now where are you?_'

'_I took a left at the last intersection. I'm coming around the main chamber from the opposite side as you. That way we'll each get a unique angle._'

'_We're not snapping pictures, Stoppable. I just want you to see this._'

'_Why is that, anyway?_'

In response, Shego thought of Barkin again.

'_GAH! Okay! Okay! Nevermind!_'

'_Alright, I'm inside the main chamber, on the catwalk. Where are you?_'

No answer. '_Ron? Ron? Hello? Is this thing on? Stoppable, do you copy me? Hello?_'

She looked around and saw him on the ground level, frozen in place. He saw it.

Ron was in shock. Out of all the things he had mentally prepared himself for, _this_ had never even crossed his mind.

In the center of the room, on a pedestal that resembled a sacrificial altar, there was a golden scepter. A multi-colored jewel the size of the Hope Diamond rested at the top.

"Oh. My. God," he whispered.

He had seen it before, when they had met Shego's brothers. It had been wielded by a villain named Aviarius, one of Team Go's old enemies. His plan had been to use the staff to steal their powers to use as his own. He had succeeded temporarily, when all of a sudden it was knocked from his hand by Kim, allowing Shego to leap up into the air and grab it.

Kim had tried to persuade Shego to give the powers back to her brothers, but the pale villainess had other ideas, namely keeping the powers for herself. Ron had totally seen that coming, and made it a point to remind Kim of that.

A fight had ensued, ending with Kim kicking the staff out of Shego's hands, which shattered it and returned all of the stolen powers to their original hosts. Shego had fled the scene after that, judging that it was better to go with Drakken than to stay there and have to deal with the people she had just betrayed for the second time.

But now it was somehow whole again. This was what Shego wanted him to see? Why? '_Shego, do you see this?_'

'_Yeah. You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?_'

Ron nodded. '_Yeah. Let's get outta here._'

* * *

The two agents stood before her. One female, one male, just like the duo that had infiltrated. 

The female agent was a favorite of hers. She appeared well on her way to succeed the one-eyed woman someday in the future. She was talented, athletic, charismatic, and a natural leader. All traits that she herself possessed.

The male, on the other hand, was destined to remain at his current rank, if only for his inability to accept change in any form. The geopolitical landscape was constantly fluctuating, and things changed all the time. He would never be able to handle that.

The girl could, however. She could do anything, after all. Change was the only constant in her life, and she showed remarkable ingenuity in the most dire of situations.

The only concern was her devotion to the cause. This next assignment would put that devotion to the test. If she passed, she would go on to become a full agent. If she failed… well, failure was not even in that girl's vocabulary, so it was irrelevant anyway.

She wouldn't fail. She would perform her duty, just like she had always done. All agents of justice worked in harmony toward the greater good. It was just how things worked at the organization.

"You have your orders," she said to the pair. "Go."

* * *

"Shego, where are we going?" Ron asked from where he was strapped securely in the passenger seat of her sports car. 

She didn't answer. Instead she just stared straight ahead.

"Uh, if this has anything to do with what we saw back there…."

Still no response.

"Was I not supposed to see that? Am I in trouble?"

She continued to ignore him.

"Silent treatment," he muttered, crossing his arms and sinking into his seat. "I hate the silent treatment."

In truth, Shego was only quiet because she couldn't think of any words to say that would prepare Ron for the bombshell she was about to drop on him. This was it; the culmination of Monkey Fist's plan. The moment of truth, where Ron Stoppable would have to make a choice. She knew exactly what he would choose.

At first she hadn't cared. When Monkey Fist had first explained his scheme to her she had just nodded and gone along with it. As long as she got paid, she didn't care what she had to do so long as it left some part of her dignity intact, and hurting Kimmie by corrupting the sidekick was always a plus.

That had been her primary motivation at first. But as the weeks went by, she found herself… not exactly _attracted _to Ron Stoppable (she liked her men big and beefy), but almost… comfortable with him. Like a close friend.

'_A very close friend,_' she mused. '_Almost as close as he and Kimmie used to be._'

Her primary goal was still to hurt the cheerleader. If she couldn't kill her, then Shego would make Kim's life hell for what she did that night. Any ideas of friendship between them that she may have entertained before that incident were out of the picture now. Kimmie was going to pay. Big time.

'_Still, I'm not sure about this,_' she thought. '_I mean, getting betrayed by her fake boyfriend was what caused her to go ballistic last time; what's _this _gonna do to her?_'

She didn't even want to think about what Kim would do when she got word of this. She had caught a glimpse of the girl's dark side that night right before she got kicked into the tower; what hell would be unleashed once Princess learned that her sidekick had been corrupted?

Shego pushed the thought out of her mind and focused on driving to her destination.

"So are you gonna tell me where we're going or what?"

That did it. "For the love of God, shut the hell up, Stoppable! It's a… surprise."

'_That was clever,_' she thought sarcastically as internally she rolled her eyes at her own remark.

"Good surprise or bad surprise?"

"A surprise. Let's leave it at that."

"But is it good or bad?"

"Just shut up, will ya?!"

Seeking to get away from the woman who just minutes before they had gotten into the car had been much friendlier with him, Ron attempted to bury himself in the corner of his chair. The laws of physics triumphed over his feeble escape attempt, however, and the fabric refused to let him move back any further.

"Okay," he said meekly. "Just so long as you tell me why you're so angry."

"You're distracting me."

"I thought you said Kim was the real distraction."

"She annoys me. You both do."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with—"'

"JUST LET ME DRIVE, OKAY?!"

"Okay," he squeaked in a near perfect impression of Rufus.

Shego sighed and turned her attention back to the road. She wasn't mad at him. She was angry at herself for doing this to someone who before she had interfered had been so bright and cheerful. The old Shego wouldn't have cared. But she had gotten so into character that she had actually started to feel something for Ron. Not lust, and certainly not love, but something close to… friendship?

She had started to see him as a confidant; someone she could go to when she needed to talk about something. He was sweet, kind, loyal, and funny in his own special way. He could even be witty without even meaning to. It occurred to Shego that she actually _cared_ about this boy. And here she was offering him up like some sacrificial lamb to be transformed into a wolf.

'_Or monkey, in this case,_' she corrected herself. She chuckled inwardly (and made a great effort_not _to do so outwardly). She had been completely honest with him earlier. He had impressed her on many occasions, more so than Kimmie. But that was not the reason that she found going through with the plan to be so hard to do; it was because, for the first time in her life, she was feeling an interest in somebody that wasn't based on sex.

'_I've never liked anybody platonically before,_' she thought. '_Course the fact that he's not exactly my type may have something to do with it. But… normally I just blow those guys off. But with Stoppable… I actually like being around him. He's a likeable person. He's… he's a good friend._'

A good friend that she was about to betray by handing him over to his worst enemy.

She shook her head. '_Pull it together, Shego. So you got a little more attached to this one than you might like; if the plan works, you'll be spending lots of time with him anyway._' That last bit of reasoning should have been enough to pull her out of her guilt.

So why did she still feel so bad?

'_Because it'll break him once he figures out who his true friends are,_' she realized. '_I doubt he'll ever be the same after this, no matter what he chooses._'

She glanced over at her passenger, who was still making every effort to remain as far away from her as physically possible. Shego smirked at that.

'_Even though he could probably kick my ass with his little finger he's still scared of me,_' she thought with satisfaction. Her face grew soft. '_Still… I feel kinda bad for yelling at him._'

Before this whole scheme, Shego would have never even acknowledged that thought. Instead she would have simply done what she always did with emotion and let it out through some sort of explosion; physical or emotional, it didn't matter. But now she was about to do something she'd never tried before. Something that terrified her to do because it was showing weakness, and under normal circumstances she would never allow that. But these weren't normal circumstances. So she did the one thing she never thought she would.

She apologized.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I've just… got a lot on my mind."

Ron immediately relaxed in his seat and his face grew concerned. Normally he would have been floored that _Shego_, former world-class villainess and unabashed smartass, actually apologized, to _him_ of all people. But his surprise was overridden by the compassion he felt when he heard the regretful tone in her voice.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he offered.

A simple shake of her head was Shego's reply.

"Does it have to do with where we're going?"

She nodded.

"Is it bad?"

This time Shego didn't respond at all. If one looked closely, however, they would see her bottom lip begin to quiver.

'_Dammit, don't you cry_,' Shego scolded herself. '_You have nothing to cry about. This is just part of the plan. You're playing him; that's all. You've been leading him along this whole time and you won't care about what happens. You don't care. You don't care._'

But as much as she tried to deny it, she _did _care; that was the problem.

Her stone-cold defense faltered for but a second, far too subtly for the average person to notice. But Ron, however oblivious he may have been in the other areas of his life, possessed an almost uncanny ability to know just when something was bothering somebody. He knew better than to ask if she was trying not to cry, though, since doing so would provoke a less-than-desirable reaction from the pale former villainess. Besides, he already knew the answer to that question.

He tried instead to change the subject. "So… any pop quizzes tomorrow I should know about?"

Shego tried hard not to laugh but she just couldn't help herself. The kid somehow knew exactly what to say to get her out of her funk and occupy her mind with something else. She shook her head.

"No, no pop quizzes, Stoppable," she said. "I hated those when I was in school. So I don't give 'em."

"Maybe you should tell Mr. Barkin to stop giving 'em," Ron said bitterly. "He seems to like everything I hate."

Shego smiled. "I think I could arrange that. I know half a dozen ways to get him to… reconsider," she replied saucily.

Ron made a face and stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Ew, major wrongsick! Bad mental images! Bad!" He slapped his temples in an attempt to make the images go away.

The pale driver laughed. "None of them are what you're thinking, Ron."

"Well then why'd you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"All… suggestive-like."

"To make you squirm, of course," she teased.

"That's not funny!"

"It's a little funny."

Ron crossed his arms and pouted. Shego grinned at the childish display.

Her expression grew serious, however, when she noticed that they had arrived at their destination. "We're here," she said solemnly to her passenger.

He couldn't figure out why Shego was so serious given the fact that she was teasing him mercilessly just moments before, but Ron had learned a long time ago that women were strange creatures that could change moods as easily as they changed clothes. Quirking an eyebrow suspiciously, he undid his seat belt and stepped out of the car.

Looking up, he saw it.

The mansion was certainly nice, though not being an expert on architecture he was completely in the dark as to how to classify it. It would be so cool if he could, though. What he did notice was that it sort of resembled an old English castle. There was no drawbridge or moat, but the thick stone walls, heavy wooden doors, and tall, narrow windows were enough to identify the place as some sort of fortress. In fact now that he thought about it, the castle did look a little bit like….

'_A villain's lair,_' he realized.

It wasn't very hard to deduce. After several years of foiling villainous plots, all lairs started to look the same after a while. But whose lair was it? And why was Shego bringing him here?

Only one way to find out. "Shego, where are we?"

She didn't respond but simply started up the walkway. With nothing else to do, he followed her.

Ron's conscious mind was screaming at him. This was a trap. He had been in enough of those to know how to identify one. All his instincts told him he should run now; get out while he still could.

And yet, he continued to follow her all the way to the door. Shego rang the doorbell.

Then Ron sensed something.

It was the same thing he felt in the club. It was something he couldn't quite articulate, but he was picking up some very bad vibrations from behind that door.

And yet, there was something alluring about the presence he felt. Something that kept him rooted in place even when he heard a chorus of monkeys in his head screaming at him to make a run for it.

His suspicions were confirmed when the door opened and he was confronted with the face of his enemy.

He gasped. "Monkey Fist?!"

The monkey master smiled wickedly. "Hello, Ronald."

* * *

"Kimmie, look at me." 

Stubborn as ever, Kim refused.

"Kim, you're acting like a child."

She didn't care. No way she was having this conversation with her mother.

If it had been any other subject, Kim wouldn't have hesitated to talk to her about it. Aside from Ron, her mother was Kim's main source of advice. But this was different.

"Kimmie, I'm here for you. Talk to me."

"WHAT DO YOU WANNA KNOW?!" Kim exploded.

Anne remained calm. "Kimmie, something's bothering you. Can you tell me what it is? What do you want me to do for you?"

"You can stop calling me 'Kimmie,' for one thing."

"So this is about Shego."

"Hell yes it's about Shego! Ever since she showed up…." She stopped.

"Go on."

Kim's voice grew quiet. "Ever since she showed up, things have been… different."

"I'm guessing it's not a good different?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not good at all."

"Tell me about it."

"I wish I could, mom, but… I can't. I've been sworn to secrecy."

"So this is a GJ thing."

Kim nodded.

"Your missions aren't just saving cats in trees or stopping villains anymore, are they?"

Again Kim only shook her head. "I'm sorry, mom."

Anne was confused. "Sorry for what?"

"For this," answered a voice behind them.

Before Anne could even turn around, there was a dart embedded in her neck.

* * *

"AAAAH! MONKEY FIST!" Ron screamed before turning around to try and run away. He was only able to take a few steps before a thin, latex-covered leg reached out and tripped him. 

"Get a hold of yourself, Stoppable," Shego scolded as she picked him up by the back of his shirt. "We're not gonna hurt you."

Ron was confused. "'We?' What do you mean, 'we?'"

Monkey Fist turned to Shego. "And he wonders why Drew calls him a buffoon." He looked at Ron. "In case you haven't figured it out already, Shego and I are still working together."

"You are?! I mean… you are." He turned to glare at Shego. "I knew you were only doing this to hurt Kim."

"Yeah, and my cover was good enough that no one believed you," Shego retorted. "Besides, this plan is about you. Hurting Kimmie is just a bonus."

"I can't believe this! I honestly thought you'd gone good for a second there! I thought we were friends!"

"We still are, you dimwit," Shego said as she scowled. "Come inside and we'll explain everything."

"How can I trust you after you lied to me?!"

"Don't make me force you," the pale woman threatened. "I don't care how good you are at Monkey Kung Fu, I'll still kick your ass."

Ron dropped his head. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted.

"She won't be in a few weeks, though," promised Monkey Fist. "Once you see things our way you'll be _begging_ me to train you."

"And what makes you so sure about that?"

The monkey master only smirked. "Trust me," he said before disappearing inside.

Ron looked hesitantly at Shego before obediently falling in line behind his arch-foe.

Monkey Fist led them to a rather large room that somewhat resembled the main hall of his original mansion, monkey paintings and all. He sat down in a regal fashion on one of the elegant chairs. Shego grabbed Ron forcefully by the hand and led him over to one of the couches, where she sat next to him to keep him from running.

"Is this about what we saw back at GJ?" Ron asked her.

It was Monkey Fist who answered, however. "What else would it be about, Ronald?"

"My potential?"

"Well, that too, but the two subjects are actually related, if a bit indirectly."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You've encountered that artifact before, haven't you?" Monkey Fist asked, dodging Ron's question with one of his own. "Do you remember what it does?"

"I remember it stole Shego and her brothers' powers."

"That it did. It's actually capable of absorbing any form of mystical energy, be it Chi or interstellar radiation. Or even…." He paused.

"What?"

"Mystical monkey power," Fiske replied.

Ron stood up in outrage, only to be dragged back down by Shego. "So what are you saying?" he asked after a moment. "That GJ wants to steal my power for themselves?"

"That is _exactly_ what I'm saying," Monkey Fist answered. "They've tried it before, remember? 'The Ron Factor,' I think they called it." He chuckled in amusement.

"Well, that was different," insisted Ron. "They asked me if I wanted to participate."

"And do you really think they would have treated you so humanely if they had detected the power during their experiments? They would have cut you open like the goose who laid the golden egg, trying to figure out how exactly you managed to contain such power. Of course now they can take it from you far more easily."

"The staff-thingy?"

"The Eye of Hanuman," Fiske corrected, standing up and beginning to pace like a teacher giving a lecture.

"The what?"

"The Eye of Hanuman," he repeated.

"And who is that again?"

"Hanuman was the monkey god of India, known for his trickery. You and he actually have a lot in common."

"How?"

"Hanuman was an arrogant god, and was thereby cursed never to remember his vast power unless someone else reminded him of it," Fiske elaborated. "It seems you suffer from the same curse."

"Oh, I'm cursed alright."

Monkey Fist shook his head, disappointed. "Still caught up on the idea that the monkey power is a burden instead of a liberation?"

"Well anything that makes _you_ focus on me can't be good in my book," Ron snapped.

"So it's the monkey phobia, then? Interesting."

"No," Ron insisted, shaking his head. "I just don't like associating with criminals."

"If anyone's a criminal here it's you," Monkey Fist retorted. "Vigilantes are no better than the people they chase after in the eyes of the law. You really think you can save the world without policies and procedures? Global Justice has given you a free pass, my boy. And they will soon try to collect on their part of the deal."

"I still don't see how that makes me a criminal," said Ron as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Really? Well consider this: when we first met, you attacked me in my own home, on my property, and destroyed four priceless artifacts that had been placed under my care by the museum. But who went to jail that night?"

"You did."

Monkey Fist smirked. "And who do you think arranged that?"

Ron's eyes widened. "GJ? No way!"

"'Way,' Stoppable," Fiske retorted dryly. "I'm terribly sorry to tell you this, but it seems that the only people who are on your side at the moment are standing in this room."

"No!" Ron shouted, standing to his feet. Shego tried to pull him down again, but he shrugged her off in an impressive display of strength. "I'm not about to trust someone who tried to kill me!"

"The amount of poison I gave you wouldn't even kill that naked mole rat of yours, Stoppable," said Fiske. "If I wanted you dead I would have killed you already. I've had several opportunities this week alone. I'm trying to help you here."

"No, that's not it at all!" Ron declared with an accusing finger. "You want the power for yourself! You want to steal the Eye of… whatever, and use it to take the power from me!"

Monkey Fist merely chuckled. "Really, Ronald, for someone with such an active imagination, you disappoint me with your lack of vision. That's not what I intend to do at all."

"Why not?"

"Because, as I told you before, you are the Chosen One, ergo you can use the power in ways I can only begin to imagine. It would be a waste to simply _take_ the power from you, knowing I couldn't use it like you can. I just want you on my side."

"So you set this whole thing up just to get me on the wrong side of the law?!"

The monkey master grinned. "Precisely."

Ron visibly shook with rage, his hands clenched in fists at his sides, but he didn't say anything.

"You have a choice to make, Ronald," stated Monkey Fist. "Either stay here and fulfill your destiny, or go back to the hell you've created for yourself."

"You created it for me!" Ron accused. "None of this was my idea!"

"But you played right into my plan. I know you better than you know yourself, Ronald. You reacted just as I expected you would. I already know exactly what you'll choose."

And what is that?" challenged Stoppable.

"You know what."

"No," Ron growled. "I'll never join you!" he quoted from a famous science fiction movie.

"And what are you going to do? Run away? You have nowhere to go. The cards are all stacked in my favor. Your girlfriend no longer trusts you with anything. You've consorted with a known criminal. Earlier you committed an act of espionage. You're already on my side whether you want to admit it or not. You lose. The game is over. Check and mate," Fiske declared with finality.

"The only choice you have left," the monkey master continued as he stepped closer to the blond youth, "is to join me."

"Uh, hello, what part of 'I'll never join you' are you not getting?!"

"The 'never' part," Fiske deadpanned.

Shego decided to weigh in. "Look, Stoppable, I know this is hard for you, being that you're Kimmie's lapdog and all, but wake the hell up! She's fixin' to betray you. Trust me, I know the signs."

"No you don't!" Ron denied, though he doubted the validity of his words. He was only saying that to disagree with the woman who had betrayed him.

"Oh don't I?" the malachite thief challenged. "You don't know the whole story of why I turned evil, so I'll cut you some slack. But let's just say I know what it feels like to get betrayed by the people you thought were on your side."

"Oh I definitely know what that feels like," he said with malice.

Shego rolled her eyes. "I'm still on your side, you dolt. Or haven't you been able to decipher that from what Monty's been telling you these past five minutes?"

"How can you be on my side when you lied to me?!"

"Pfft! Like I'm the only one? You had to sneak into GJ headquarters just to see what Kimmie was hiding from you. You're tellin' me _she's _still on your side?"

"Why wouldn't she be?"

"Because she works for Betty Director, the world's biggest manipulator," Shego answered. "Trust me, as long as she wants that power of yours, she's definitely not on your side. And if _she's _not… well, let's just say Kimmie's not either."

"You're lying!"

"No, I'm not. Lying would be letting you off easy. You can't make this stuff up."

"Maybe _you_ can't," said Ron, "but _he _sure can!" He turned his attention to Monkey Fist.

"Come now, Ronald, when have I ever lied to you?"

Ron tried to think of an example. He couldn't. "Uh… well…. Hang on…."

"I haven't," Fiske answered his own question. "And I would have nothing to gain by lying to you now."

"But you still set me up!"

"Indeed I did," the monkey master admitted. "And the wisest decision right now would be to go along with it."

"You know I don't make wise decisions!" Stoppable retorted.

"I'll give him that," Shego quipped, pointing to the boy with her thumb.

"Still, even you can't be stupid enough to walk willingly into a trap," Fiske insisted.

"I already have!" Ron pointed out.

"He's got ya there," admitted Shego.

"I don't know how Drew usually responded to your lack of support, Shego," Monkey Fist said threateningly, "But I do not take kindly to insubordination."

Shego just shrugged her shoulders. "Do what ya have to, boss." He didn't scare her.

Monkey Fist muttered something under his breath before continuing. "Fine. The choice is yours, boy. Either stay here and become part of our team, or take your chances with Global Justice. We'll end up on the same side of this conflict either way."

"I'll take my chances," Ron said firmly.

"That's a first," Shego remarked. "Here," she said, throwing him a set of keys. "Take my car."

Ron stared at the keys in disbelief. "You're just gonna let me leave? Just like that?"

The pale thief shrugged. "Hey, we can't make you do anything. You have to come to this decision on your own. I was hoping you wouldn't have to learn your lesson the hard way, but… whatever. Your choice."

Now Ron looked at Monkey Fist. "You're not even gonna try and stop me?"

"You'll be back," the monkey master assured him. "You can count on it."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. We're never gonna meet again. You can count on _that_." He stomped angrily over to the door and slammed it on his way out. Once he was on the other side, he started running.

Shego took out her nail file. "So what time should we break into GJ tonight?"

"Midnight," Monty replied. "Give them time to sweat him a little. He needs to see that their intentions are anything but humane."

"Sounds good to me," Shego said, then went back to filing her nails.

* * *

The door to the Possible household flew open, and a blonde streak raced inside. "Kim! Kim! You'll never believe what I just found out!" 

Standing from her seat on the couch, Kim turned to face him. "What is it, Ron?"

Her tone caused Ron to pause for a moment. She didn't say that like he thought she would. The nature of his entry should have had her concerned. But instead her voice was… hollow. Empty. As though she had been expecting him.

"Shego's still working with Monkey Fist!" he blurted out after a few seconds.

"I know," Kim replied emotionlessly.

"You do?!"

"Yes."

"And you're not doing anything about it?!"

"I never said I wasn't."

"Why aren't you freaking out?!"

She took a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Ron."

Ron was confused. "Sorry for what?"

"For this," answered a monotone voice from behind. Ron spun around quickly to find himself face to face with a tall, lanky Asian man in a jumpsuit.

_I hear a voice say "Don't be so blind"  
It's telling me all these things  
That you would probably hide_

"Will Du? What are you doing here?"

Will didn't so much as blink. "I'm placing you under arrest."

"What?! Why?"

"For aiding and abetting a known criminal in infiltrating a Global Justice owned facility and assisting in spying on a top secret project," Will recited tonelessly.

_Am I your one and only desire?  
Am I the reason you breathe  
Or am I the reason you cry?_

"Shego's not a criminal!" insisted Ron. "Kim said she got her pardoned!"

"About that, Ron," said Kim. "I was kind of lying."

Ron was hurt. "Why?"

"Because we told her to," Will answered.

_Always, always, always, always, always, always  
I just can't live without you_

"You told her to?! What's going on here, Kim?"

Kim dipped her head in shame and sheepishly ground her toe into the carpet. "I never told you what my special missions were, did I?"

"Not really."

"Well, until Shego showed up it was just basic agent training," she explained. "Since she became a teacher at our school I've… sort of been gathering intel on her."

"That's no different than normal," Ron pointed out. "I was doing the same thing."

_I love you  
I hate you  
I can't get around you_

"Only Miss Possible had an order from Dr. Director," Will countered. "You, on the other hand, were acting as a vigilante."

"That's what we've always done!"

_I breathe you  
I taste you  
I can't live without you_

"And we've let it slide," said Will. "But this is classified stuff, Mr. Stoppable."

"You're not part of any government," Ron scoffed. "You can't classify anything."

_I just can't take any more  
This life of solitude  
I guess that I'm out the door  
And now I'm done with you_

"Nor can we issue pardons," Du replied. "Which is why I am arresting you for knowingly assisting an international fugitive in breaking and entering, trespassing in a restricted area, as well as spying."

"But that's not fair! Kim, tell him that's not fair!"

_I feel like you don't want me around  
I guess I'll pack all my things  
I guess I'll see you around_

Kim looked at him apologetically. "I can't, Ron."

"What?! Why not?!"

She sighed. "Because I have my future to think about."

_It's all been bottled up until now  
As I walk out your door  
All I can hear is the sound_

Ron felt as though Kim had just stabbed him in the gut. "You're choosing a future at GJ over me? Your best friend since Pre-K? Your _boyfriend_? Does our relationship mean that little to you?"

_Always, always, always, always, always, always  
I just can't live without you_

"NO!" Kim shrieked. "No, this isn't how I wanted it to happen at all!" Tears began flowing down her cheeks. "It was _you_! You chose this!" She pointed her finger accusingly at him.

_I love you  
I hate you  
I can't get around you_

"Me?! How is this my fault?"

"Oh don't play innocent with me," Kim spat, her tone growing more venomous. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

_I breathe you  
I taste you  
I can't live without you_

"No I don't!" Ron insisted.

"How long?!" Kim screamed at him. "How long have you been banging that green whore?!"

_I just can't take any more  
This life of solitude  
I guess that I'm out the door  
And now I'm done with you_

"Shego? Why would you think—"

_I love you  
I hate you  
I can't live without you_

"Don't!" she cried. "Don't even deny it! I've seen the way you look at her. How long, Ron?! How long?!"

_I left my head around your heart  
Why would you tear my world apart?_

'_Is she that jealous?'_ Ron asked himself. '_Does she really trust me that little? I thought you were better than this, KP._' "In case you haven't noticed, KP, I'm not exactly a ladies man," Ron said in a decidedly firmer tone. The sudden shift did not go unnoticed by Kim, who actually blanched a little as she began to realize she may have made a mistake.

_Always, always, always, always_

"I haven't even had sex with _you_," he continued. "Why would I want to have sex with anyone else?"

_I see the blood all over your hands  
Does it make you feel more like a man?  
Was it all just a part of your plan?  
The pistol's shakin' in my hands  
And all I hear is the sound_

Kim was many things: charismatic, friendly, selfless, and generally a very nice person to be around. But it was not any of those qualities that determined her reaction to the question now posed by Ron. Instead it was her two worst traits: stubbornness and jealousy. "Maybe because you're so damn gullible that you'll sleep with any whore who offers you a pity screw," she spat. "I definitely know Shego's the type of woman who'd take advantage of that. Why else would you follow her into GJ?"

"You really think I'm that shallow?!" Ron bellowed, causing Kim to back up in surprise. She'd never seen him this angry before. Hell, she'd never even seen him angry _ever_. "You really trust me that little?!"

It was then that Kim realized she may have jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Ron, I—"

"Shego and I are just friends, Kim!" shouted Ron. "Just like you and I _used to be!_"

Kim looked afraid. "What are you saying?"

"You know exactly what I'm saying," he growled.

_I love you  
I hate you  
I can't get around you_

"No I—"

"It's over, Kim!"

Her heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"You heard me! I thought our relationship was based on trust! But you don't trust me at all, do you?! You actually think I'd sleep with _Shego_ of all people?! What the hell caused you to jump to that conclusion?!" Ron was furious now.

_I breathe you  
I taste you  
I can't live without you_

"I don't—"

"I do!" interrupted Ron. "It's the same reason you followed me and Yori halfway across the world! You couldn't handle me bein' with someone else! When are you gonna learn to just trust me?"

Kim was in tears. "I…."

_I just can't take any more  
This life of solitude  
I guess that I'm out the door  
And now I'm done with you_

"You're never gonna trust me," Ron said grimly. "Shego was right."

Those last three words caused all of her anger to return. "About what?!" she demanded.

"What?" he sneered. "Can't trust me?"

"You know you actually sound like her right now."

Ron just scoffed.

"She did this to you!" accused Kim. "She poisoned you against me!"

"You did that yourself," Ron countered.

"The Ron I know would never react like this!"

"Yeah, you're right; the Ron you know would probably lie and say he _was_ sleeping with Shego just to make you happy," he sneered. "After all, you don't give a damn about our relationship. You only care about being right."

_I love you  
I hate you  
I can't live without you_

Kim looked as though she had just been shot. Her lips flapped up and down uselessly as she tried to form words, but none came.

_I love you  
I hate you  
I can't live without you_

"You know, I never told you what Monkey Fist told me that day when he almost killed me," Ron said distantly. "He told me I let you keep me from achieving my potential. And you know what?" He chuckled bitterly and shook his head before locking eyes with her. "He's right."

_I just can't take any more  
This life of solitude  
I pick myself off the floor  
And now I'm done with you_

"You're willing to listen to—"

"Monkey Fist over you? Oh yeah, Kim. At least he never lied to me. Which is more than I can say for you." He continued to glare hatefully at her.

"Ron, I'm… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thought you would cheat on me with Shego. I should have trusted you more."

The old Ron would have accepted her apology. The old Ron would have forgotten the whole thing. But the old Ron was gone.

"You should have," he agreed. "But you didn't. It's over, Kim. We're over." He turned to Will. "Get it over with," he said.

Nodding, Will produced a pair of cuffs. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law…."

_Always  
Always  
Always_


	5. Sacrifice

Darkness.

It was all he knew now. His freedom had been stripped from him long ago, leaving him with only the darkness of the cave. It wasn't actually a cave—caves don't have steel walls, after all—but in pitch black what was the difference? Darkness was a form of torture, he knew. The feeling of isolation it caused was enough to drive a person insane.

Then again, he was already insane.

A spear of light punched through the darkness, forcing its way from the door to the cold iron bars of the sterile prison cell and revealing the malnourished form of the prisoner. He hunched over and reflexively turned away from the glaring light, unaccustomed to its brightness. But the light continued to shine, calling him forward. He clamped his eyelids shut and refused to look into the blinding light.

Boots clacked against the hard stone floor, alerting him to the intruder's presence. He curled tighter into himself like a child, hoping to make the monsters go away. They had everything they needed from him, right? Why did they come back? Why couldn't they just leave him to rot in his own private hell?

"Go away," he pleaded, his voice raw from his atrophied vocal cords. "I don't want you here."

"That's too bad," said the intruder in response. "Because I always drop in uninvited."

That voice. He recognized that voice. It had been so long since he'd heard it last. It seemed like eons ago, when he still had his freedom. It haunted his dreams, but the sound that now echoed in his ears hadn't graced them in so long he'd nearly forgotten it. Just to be sure, he peeled open his beady eyes and blinked, bringing his hands to his face to wipe the tears that formed as he tried to cope with the light that had forgotten him. At long last, his vision returned and he saw the face of his tormentor.

"Kim Possible?!"

Kim smiled. "Hello, Drakken."

* * *

**Chapter 4  
**Sacrifice

* * *

Julius Caesar got off easy. At least when he was betrayed, the Senators (and Brutus; who could forget Brutus?) at least had the decency to kill him so he didn't have to see everything he had worked so hard for fall apart at the seams. Actually the Roman Empire collapsing after his absence would have been a cosmic favor to him; at least it would have proved he was worth something. 

Although, the immortalization of Caesar's death in Shakespeare's play as well as countless historical textbooks indicated that he had at least contributed _something_ to history, the blond-haired boy thought as he sat alone in his cell. Nobody could even remember his name. Sad, yes, but he was used to it.

He was nobody. He was nothing. Everyone knew him as Kim Possible's sidekick, and now he wasn't even that anymore. He was a prisoner. What did they even see in him that was worth imprisoning him for? Everything he had to live for had already been taken from him.

He supposed that laws were laws and they had to be followed, but he didn't much care at the moment. All that mattered was that the center of his universe was gone. Taken from him. No, worse; he had thrown it away.

It was all Monkey Fist's fault, he decided. If the damn Englishman hadn't come and tried to enact his plan to corrupt him, things would still be going wonderfully between him and his now ex-girlfriend. But now she was gone from him. He had pushed her away out of disgust.

Shego was to blame as well. After all, she had admitted right to his face that she wanted to destroy the redhead's life by taking him from her. Even if it was not in a romantic sense, Shego had come between him and Kim, and now the rift was too great to ever go back. Not that he wanted to after the girl had shown her true colors earlier.

Ron had always been there for Kim. He had always supported her, no matter what. When she was given the opportunity to do the same and stand up for him, she had left him for the wolves to devour, choosing a future at the organization that had imprisoned him over a relationship that had lasted for over fourteen years. She might as well have torn his heart out with a chainsaw; it certainly felt that way.

She meant well; of that he had no doubt. But Kim, for all her supposed selflessness, tended to care more about her own appearance than the happiness of others, including that of her boyfriend. She was still caught up in the food chain that Bonnie was always prattling on about. He supposed he shouldn't have expected any differently from her. After all, while she tried to be a good role model, and perhaps because of that fact, sometimes Kim got a little too preoccupied with her appearance to really notice anything else.

Sure, she had been dating him. But she also believed in him and supported him through everything; or so he believed. It was more like she dragged him along for his tendency to practically worship the ground she walked on, showering her with praise and inflating her already copious ego by constantly downplaying his own abilities in her presence. It wasn't really a conscious decision to hold himself back; it was more of a learned response. Kim didn't like to lose. He knew that. So he just let her go on believing she was the best at everything.

He now realized what Kim didn't; that despite the fact that she could do anything, she damn sure could not do it alone. Without Wade, she could not hope to maintain her website and answer calls for help, much less get rides when she didn't charge a cent. Without Ron, she tended to charge headfirst into dangerous situations without even so much as considering the consequences. He realized now that he was the force that kept Kim from getting too impulsive out there in the field. Without him to constantly give her a reality check, she would have been dead a long time ago.

Ron was the reason she started going on missions in the first place. All the girl had wanted to do was maybe babysit a couple of kids here and there; not save the world. But he had given her the confidence to go through with it and gave her the chance to shine. The night of the prom, when she had been betrayed by Erik and had convinced herself that Drakken had finally won, it was he who snapped her out of it. Every time she started to feel like the burden of the world on her shoulders was too much or that she couldn't perform the task at hand, he had been there to encourage her. And how did she show her appreciation for all those years of unconditional love and support?

She accused him of fucking her arch-nemesis and handed him over to Global Justice.

Jealousy had often found a home with Kim. The girl had green eyes for a reason, he supposed. Combined with a fiery temper denoted by her red hair, and it became completely clear why she had jumped to such a ridiculous conclusion: Kim could not handle competition, and Ron was coming into his own with Shego's help. He still wondered how she had made such a leap in logic, however. But then envy has nothing to do with logic or reason. Green eyes see only what they want to see.

Monkey Fist was right, he realized. Everything he had predicted had come true. Kim turned against him. Shego had been correct as well.

'_Shego…_' he thought angrily.

The pale woman had set him up. She betrayed him. Just when he thought that she had made a change for the better, she turned against him.

Of course he shouldn't have been expecting any differently. She had stabbed them in the back before, when they convinced her to team up with her brothers to fight Aviarius. Which reminded him; what the hell was GJ planning to do with that staff anyway? Oh, right, take his powers. Monkey Fist had been kind enough to supply him with that information.

"_I'm terribly sorry to tell you this, but it seems that the only people who are on your side at the moment are standing in this room._"

The words hit him like a ton of bricks. Monkey Fist hadn't betrayed him. Neither had Shego. There was only one person who had truly stabbed him in the back.

Kim.

You have to trust someone before they can betray you. And while Ron may have been gullible, he still hadn't completely trusted Shego. But Kim…. He had trusted her with his mind, his body, his soul, and his love. And she had completely broken that trust. She had abandoned him when he needed her most.

Now the only people he could trust were, ironically enough, Monkey Fist and Shego. They had gotten him into this whole mess; maybe, just maybe, they could get him out. But he doubted it.

Still, who would have thought? Funny how things work out.

* * *

Drakken gaped in shock at the person before him. "Kim Possible?! What are you doing here?" 

Kim smirked and stepped up to the bars of Drakken's cage. "What you used to do so often before you were put in here."

"What's that?"

She smiled. "Scheming."

Drakken regarded her with bewilderment but motioned for her to continue.

Closing the door behind her, Kim flipped a switch that Drakken never knew existed and the room was suddenly bathed in light. Had they really kept the lights off all this time just to mess with him? Or did they not even care about him enough to bother paying the electrical bill that those lights incurred? Not sure he wanted to know the answer to that question, Drakken simply focused his attention on Kim.

"You see," the redhead began as she paced, "I've always seen the world in black and white. Good and evil. Everything was so simple. With people like you running around, it makes sense that I'd think that way, right?"

Not even waiting for a reply, she continued. "Then I met someone. Someone you undoubtedly know better than I do. She turned my world upside down. Introduced me to concepts I never would have thought of on my own. Showed me shades of gray." She turned to him. "You know who I'm talking about."

He did. "Shego?"

Kim nodded. "That's the reason I'm here. I bet it hurt when she left you, huh?"

"Well, she could have at least given me her two week's notice instead of the middle finger…."

"And I bet you want to get back at her _so_ bad, right?" Kim said in an overly sweet tone that was almost… creepy.

Drakken grit his teeth and nodded. "Yes. When I get out of here she'll be the first one on my list to get back at."

Kim smirked. "What if I told you I could give you that chance at revenge? What would you say?"

"I'd say, 'Who are you and what have you done with Kim Possible?'" Drakken replied honestly.

A toothy grin was her reply. "Yeah, the old me wouldn't be here, trying to manipulate you like this. She wouldn't even be in this mess to begin with." She sighed reminiscently before hardening her features into a firm scowl. "But what's in the past is done. I want to get back at Shego and you're going to help me whether you want to or not."

"I… do believe I've made it clear that I want to, right?"

"Which is what makes this _so_ much easier," said Kim. "You know Shego better than anyone except herself. You know her weaknesses. I need you to help me bring her down."

"Oh, I'm happy to help, I'm just wondering one thing," Drakken said, raising a finger. "Why didn't you do anything like this before if you hate her that much? Why come to me now?"

Kim grinned. "It was never personal before." She frowned. "Now it is."

"How personal?"

"Enough with the twenty questions," growled Kim. "Can you help me or not?"

Drakken's skin turned a much paler shade of blue. "O-of course I can. I happened to create a device a while back that would capitalize on Shego's weaknesses and allow me to keep her under control."

"Another mind control chip?"

"Not… exactly," Drakken answered cryptically. "Not even close, actually."

"Then what is it?"

Drakken looked nervously to the side before leaning forward. "It's at one of my lairs. I can't explain it to you because it's not even fully assembled. But if you were to get me out of here…."

"As long as you can help me get revenge on Shego, I'll give you anything you want."

"You really mean that?"

"I really mean that."

"This isn't just a test?"

Kim shook her head.

"Well then," Drakken said in a sinister tone, his face displaying a Cheshire grin, "let me be the first to say: welcome to the dark side, Kim Possible."

Kim rolled her eyes. "Okay, first of all," she said, raising a finger, "I'm not going evil. I'm just… putting my morals on hold. Second of all," she raised a second finger, "If you don't deliver, you'll find out just how _dark_ I can get," she sneered in ultimatum. Her face tightened and she glared at the terrified blue prisoner.

Drakken gulped. "I… wouldn't want to see that. Of course I'll deliver."

The malice disappeared from Kim's face and she returned to her previous cheerful demeanor. "Great then. See you soon," she promised, then stood up. Her hand hovered over a switch as she prepared to leave.

"No, wait!" Drakken called after her. "Don't turn off the—"

Kim ignored him, flipping the switch and leaving him in darkness once again.

"…lights," he finished sadly, wondering just what sort of deal he had bought himself.

* * *

Ron had been held captive before. Usually he was just chained to the wall or strung up in some sort of deathtrap for a few minutes until Kim figured a way out. Being imprisoned by the so-called "good guys" was a little more humane and less life-threatening, which made it easier to stand. 

But he had never been _questioned_ before.

Sure, he had seen interrogation scenes in television and movies, but there was something about being in the hot seat that made the whole experience... foreboding. Nerve-wracking, even. Every element of the room was designed to make him feel isolated in some way. He was seated at the opposite end of the room from the door, which was meant to drive home the point that it was all or nothing if he tried to escape. The walls were composed of two-way mirrors, which both made the room appear larger and allowed his captors to see him without being seen. He knew they were there, though. They just had to be.

They probably had hidden mikes too, not that there was anybody else for him to talk to. He was completely alone. They say that keeping a prisoner in isolation makes him more likely to open up. But Ron was used to feeling all alone. He was numb to the loneliness. He actually desired to be alone at the moment.

They would probably ask him for information on Monkey Fist and Shego. He would give it to them.

Global Justice held the key to freeing him of his curse. No more power, no more Monkey Fist on his back, right? They might just take Fiske's power away too, he figured. That would put an end to everything.

But where would that leave him? He would still have lost Kim, and consequently everything he had to live for. It didn't matter, though. As long as Fiske had no reason to have an interest in him, everything would be fine, right? He may be able to forgive KP. Hell, she had probably been right. He was sneaking around behind her back. It was his fault she jumped to such a ridiculous conclusion, he decided.

Yeah, giving them what they wanted seemed to be the best way to go. It was the smart choice.

The door hissed open, snapping him out of his reverie. Dr. Director strode into the room.

"Hello, Ronald," she greeted. He ignored her. He was more focused on the person who had followed her into the room.

"Hey, Ron," Kim said uneasily when she caught his glare. It was as though his eyes could penetrate her soul. He said nothing.

"I suppose you know why we called you here," Dr. Director began. It was a statement, not a question.

'_Called me here?'_ Ron scoffed.'_Yeah, more like arrested me and forced me to come here. What is it with captors and euphemisms?_' he wondered. "I have an idea."

"Then you can explain to me just what you were doing sneaking into my facility."

"Doing what Shego told me to," he answered honestly.

"And why would you listen to Shego?"

"Uh, because she'd go all flaming green hands of death on me if I didn't?" he offered weakly.

"Are you saying Shego forced you to come with her?"

"More or less."

"And you're sure it wasn't just because you wanted to know what it was Kim was hiding from you?" Dr. Director asked.

'_How did she know…?_' Ron wondered. "Uh, not really…."

The one-eyed woman wrote something down on her PDA. "Interesting," she muttered. "Looking over these tapes, you appear to have been a rather willing captive. You even took the lead near the end."

"Well, I…."

"In fact, you willingly took the brunt of our security measures and cleared the way for her, when you had several opportunities to just make a run for it and let her get captured. Why didn't you?"

"Uh…." He began to scratch the back of his neck.

"I don't think she forced you to do anything," Dr. Director continued, looking straight at him with her single eye. "I think you wanted to come."

Ron's face hardened. "So what if I did?"

"Oh, so you've already lied to me, have you? Oh, this does not look good. Here I was going to offer you a deal, but… I guess you don't trust me."

"I don't trust anybody anymore," Ron said bitterly, looking at Kim.

"Permission to speak freely, Dr. Director?" the redhead practically begged her superior.

"Permission granted," the one-eyed woman responded.

"Ron, I'm _so_ sorry," the olive-eyed girl said pathetically. "I didn't want this to happen. Please, just trust me and we'll make it through this."

Ron said nothing. He looked at Dr. Director. "What kind of deal?"

"We're willing to grant you amnesty and offer you protection from Monkey Fist, in exchange for one simple thing."

"My powers," he guessed.

Dr. Director nodded. "They really are quite extraordinary. You made it past our security like it was a cardboard living room fort. We desire to study them."

"Go ahead and take 'em. I don't want 'em," Ron said bitterly.

The head of Global Justice raised her eyebrow. The boy was more cooperative than she anticipated. "Are you sure that's what you want to do, Ronald?"

He nodded.

"Very well then," Dr. Director said. "Now where are Monkey Fist and Shego?"

"Huh?" '_That was never part of the deal…._'

"Well what better way to protect you from them than to imprison them?"

"Oh, I guess that makes sense."

"Good. Now where are they?"

Something suddenly occurred to Ron. "I… uh… don't exactly know," he admitted sheepishly. "I kinda made a run for it. They could be long gone by now."

"Not if Monkey Fist is as interested in you as he appears," countered the director. "And he appears _very_ interested."

"Still, I don't know how much help I'd be. To be honest I just want out of this whole thing. Plus, I figured you already knew where they were."

Dr. Director shook her head. "Well we don't. We were kind of hoping you could tell us."

"That was never part of the deal, though," Ron pointed out. "You only wanted my powers."

"That's true, Mr. Stoppable," admitted the one-eyed woman, a hint of a smirk playing across her face and disappearing just as quickly. "However, down here you are under _our_ control, and _we_ call the shots, not you." Her gaze hardened and she leaned forward across the table. "Now tell me: where _are_ Monkey Fist and Shego?"

"I told you—I don't know."

Dr. Director sighed and slammed her fist down on the table, growing upset for some reason Ron couldn't fathom. "What exactly did Shego do to you?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"Are you sure it wasn't mind control? Blackmail? Threats of violence? Come on, there has to be something I'm missing here."

"You really wanna know?" he asked.

She nodded.

Ron set his features and looked Dr. Director straight in the eye. "She cared about what I had to say. She treated me like an adult rather than a child. Unlike _some people_." He glared at Kim.

The girl looked genuinely hurt. "Ron, how could you say that?"

"Because it's true," he answered, his tone dripping with menace. "Face it; you've always babied me."

"Only because I wanted to protect you!" Kim insisted. "Because you weren't ready for a lot of the stuff that we faced out there!"

Ron snorted. "Is that it, huh? What if I told you I've been holding myself back? What if I'm just as good as you? Or worse, _better_than you? Huh? How would you react to _that_?"

Not even waiting for a reply from the suddenly dumbstruck Kim, he continued. "You saw that security footage," he said. "Don't even try and tell me you could do that even on your best day."

"Ron, what are you trying to say?"

"I did it for you, Kim!" Ron shouted, standing up furiously and pointing at her, which alerted several guards posted around the room. He ignored them for now. "I held myself back so that your feelings wouldn't get hurt! You _hate_ not being the best at something! I made a sacrifice for _you_, and THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! By betraying me?!" He was screaming now.

Tears welled up in Kim's eyes. "Ron, I…."

He sat down and turned his head away, refusing to even acknowledge her. The action silenced her faster than any words would have.

Dr. Director watched the exchange with interest. She had never cared for their relationship anyway. It distracted her best agent from her missions and made her harder to keep an eye on. Now, with Kim emotionally distraught, separated from her lifelong friend, she was extremely easy to control. She stood up. "I believe that's all the time we have for today," she announced. "I suddenly have a very important meeting."

Kim sniffed, knowing that she should probably get up to follow her superior but not caring. It didn't matter anyway, as Dr. Director spoke her name like an order. "Kim," she said sharply. "My office. Now." Her tone was shockingly reminiscent of Mr. Barkin's.

Nodding weakly, a teary-eyed Kim cast a forlorn glance at Ron before squaring her shoulders and falling in line behind Dr. Director. Despite her formal posture, the tears continued to flow.

And when she left the room, tears began to pour from another set of eyes. Chocolate brown ones.

* * *

Across the world, a candle flickered once before dying out in a sudden rush of wind. The young woman shook her head and muttered curses in Japanese before lighting it again, only to be met with the exact same result moments later. 

"Curses!" she exclaimed loudly, lighting another match, which was snuffed out before it even reached the candle this time.

"Arrgh!" she growled in frustration. She prepared to light another match when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"You are not known for your temper, Yori," Sensei announced his presence as he shuffled up with a covered lamp. "Does something frustrate you?"

Knowing full well that he was not referring to the candle that continued to deny her attempts to keep it lit, Yori sighed. "Yes, Sensei. I keep thinking of Stoppable-san."

"Is there a reason for your vigil, young pupil?" Sensei asked, appearing to dodge her response but really getting to the matter at hand.

Yori nodded. "I have been reading up on the prophecies that foretell the coming of the monkey master. I have met with much confusion."

"What confuses you, my child?" inquired the wizened old man as he took a seat next to her.

The ninja pointed to the scroll in front of her. "It says here that the monkey master must undergo a time of strife before his power will truly emerge. He will question himself, and everything he knows will lose its comfort and instead become suspicious to him."

"I do not see how this is confusing, young pupil," the ninja master opined. "Stoppable-san is experiencing such a trial as we speak."

"No, I understand that part. It is what comes next that perplexes me," explained Yori. She continued to read from the scroll. "The monkey master will find refuge in the most dangerous of places. He will shelter himself in the fire; the unforgiving wastelands will be his paradise. Only in the very maw of the beast can the monkey master truly find himself." She shook her head and looked at Sensei, bewildered. "What does this mean?"

Sensei closed his eyes and concentrated before replying. "For every age, there is a time of struggle. The rocks faced such a test before they became the ground beneath our feet. The plants braved fierce winds before their roots could give us life."

"But what does this have to do with—" Yori tried to interrupt.

"Stoppable-san must go against everything he has ever known in order to find his true destiny," Sensei explained. "A trial by fire, if you will. He will come out of it a changed person, but I assure you that change will be for the better."

"And what are we to do?" asked Yori.

"What we have done for centuries," replied Sensei. "Wait."

Yori nodded sagely.

* * *

"You know," began Dr. Director as soon as the door to her office hissed shut, trapping Kim inside, "Global Justice isn't like a lot of other organizations. Sure, we do the whole covert ops thing, but we never take a life unless it's absolutely necessary. All those other agencies are too quick to kill. I say why kill someone when you can use them to further your own ends? Do you understand what I'm saying, Kim?" 

Kim nodded. She had learned to nod whenever Dr. Director started to monologue. She had heard this particular speech at least seven times.

"Of course our methods aren't always pleasant, but we get the job done," Betty continued, pacing in a holding pattern around her desk. Kim knew that she should not sit until her superior did or she would be committing more than just a faux pas. She also knew to keep quiet and speak only when spoken to. It was what she had been trained to do. "The ends justify the means, yes?"

Another nod of her head confirmed that Kim had heard the statement, even if secretly she did not agree with it. She was starting to see where the older woman was coming from, though.

"The important thing is to not let the person know that they're being used," the brunette continued to pontificate, glancing at Kim every so often to confirm she was listening. "Oh sure, they can know you're involved, but you never just come out and _say_ it; that would be bad form."

Again Kim nodded to show her assent, while silently noting that Dr. Director had deviated from her usual script.

"So when someone tells a prisoner that they never wanted this to happen, thus implying that it could have happened differently, I get concerned." She stopped her pacing and looked straight at Kim with a chilling glint in her eye. "You didn't actually _mean_ that, did you?"

Every bit of training from the last several months told Kim that she should shake her head no. But against her better judgment, she hesitated.

Like a pouncing lioness, Dr. Director was on Kim before the girl even knew what was happening, pinning one arm behind her back and grabbing the scruff of her neck with the other before slamming the right side of her face down hard onto the cold metal desk.

She leaned in close, sending sharp puffs of hot air into Kim's ear as she spoke. "I don't train my agents to be emotional basket-cases, Miss Possible," she whispered harshly through gritted teeth. "I brought you into that interrogation to see how you would react. While I anticipated that you would behave like a heartbroken schoolgirl, seeing as that's what you are, I have to say I was _not_ impressed."

Kim's heartbeat skyrocketed and her muscles tensed as her body prepared to get out of this situation, but she quieted her natural fighting instinct, not because she couldn't win, but because all she had left was what Dr. Director chose to give her. She could put up with a little physical abuse if essentially being thrown out on the street was the alternative.

"Let me tell you what you're going to do," Dr. Director snarled like a dragon. "You are going to forget that you ever knew Ron Stoppable. He's a casualty in this war; a mere piece in this game of checkers."

"Checkers?" Kim strained out. The fact that her cheek was pressed hard against the desk made it difficult to speak. "Not chess?"

"Teenagers," sighed Betty. "The objective of this mission is merely to gain a king, not to put one in check."

Kim said nothing.

"As I was saying," she continued, grabbing a fistful of Kim's hair and twisting it, trying to provoke her into action; daring her to do something. But Kim still did nothing. "You will forget whatever you felt for that boy. He's the property of Global Justice now."

Hot tears spilled onto the desk despite Kim's efforts to hold them in. Her breaths became erratic as she choked on the sobs.

"Besides," Dr. Director hissed, releasing the mangled locks and carelessly dropping Kim's head onto the desk, "he's already decided he doesn't want you in his life. Probably waiting on that Shego girl to break him out."

Kim didn't even protest that. In fact, she agreed with it.

"Now, are you going to behave like a good agent?"

Nodding while one's head is being pressed against a hard surface is difficult, but Kim managed it. She was suddenly released, and stood up to face her superior.

"Now go," the one-eyed woman commanded.

Kim obeyed. Like a good little girl would.

* * *

'_Y'know, this feels an awful lot like a deathtrap,_' thought Ron. He would know. After all, he had survived more of these than he could count. 

He was currently suspended between two iron pillars by a quartet of chains. Across from him was the Eye of Hanuman, resting in what looked like the barrel of a rather large cannon. They were both situated in the center of a gigantic room the size of a large hangar. Looking down, he saw that the "floor" was actually a suspended platform of iron mesh. If he looked closely enough, he could detect the faint outlines of GJ agents making their patrols in two person teams.

Ron gasped as he raised his head up again, having nearly asphyxiated himself in his awkward position. Across the cavernous space, he spied a control room, which was separated from this chamber by thick Plexiglas. He recognized the two figures in the control room: Kim and Dr. Director.

"Uh, Dr. Director?" he called out, unsure if she would be able to hear him or not. "Is there any reason I'm chained up like this?"

It turned out she heard him quite well, as she immediately replied over the loudspeaker: "It's for our protection, Ronald. From you."

His face twisted. "Huh? But I'm being totally cooperative! I'm giving you my powers."

"Your willingness is not our concern," the director stated plainly. "It's that of your power."

"What about my power?"

"Well, like you've said on many occasions, you don't control it; it controls you. This leads us to believe that the power has some level of sentience and may try to fight back if… disturbed."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think of it like blood leaking out of a wound. Your body obviously doesn't want to lose the blood, so it puts up defensive measures to keep it in. We're not sure just what lengths the power will go to in order to preserve itself, which is why we've taken the precaution of chaining you up."

"Are you saying this process could kill me?" Ron wondered aloud, picking up on the not-so-hidden meaning of Dr. Director's analogy. "I mean, blood loss is never a good thing."

Dr. Director smiled faintly. Funny; before his sudden change in attitude that thought would never have occurred to the boy. The expression quickly faded and her mouth became a thin line.

"We're hoping not, but rest assured we'll stop the power drain if that's what happens. We wouldn't want to lose such a fine young hero, after all."

Those words seemed to put Ron at ease, but Kim, seated beside Dr. Director, knew the power-hungry woman better than that. She wouldn't stop until every last bit of that power was in her hands.

She looked at Ron. Sure, he had been harsh to her earlier, but he wasn't exactly lying. She _had_ been taking him for granted lately and not treating him like the young adult he was becoming. She could stand to acknowledge his growth a bit more often; hell, a small part of her was even happy for him. She just couldn't get past the fact that it was _Shego_ who brought out this side of him.

Despite her public image as the girl who could do anything, Kim did indeed have a weak spot—jealousy. The nasty emotion appealed to her baser instincts, and reason was rarely involved when Kim got green-eyed. Jumping to irrational conclusions was only the tip of the iceberg. Kim did not play well with others.

As she mused over this, a thought occurred to her: was she jealous of Ron? Her first reaction was to scoff; like she could ever be jealous of a guy who lost his pants on a regular basis! A guy who had… dodged a field of moving lasers that would have reduced even her to charred fragments. Effortlessly at that. Was she jealous of his powers?

She continued to ponder this while she studied him intently. He wasn't even struggling in his chains. He was freely giving up his power and here they were treating him like a prisoner. Dr. Director's explanation made sense of course, but there was an underlying message in the older woman's tone. Like she knew the process would kill him but she didn't care.

That brought Kim to the crux of the matter: did she care what happened to Ron? Enough to do something about it anyway? A few weeks ago, she would not even have to ask that question. Saving people was what she did. Especially people she….

People she….

She….

Couldn't say the word love, not even in her mind.

She didn't love Ron. At any other point in time, the revelation would have startled her, but instead she passively accepted it as truth. She loved him like a brother of course, but did she really, truly love him? She didn't even _trust_ him. So she loved him like a friend, then. Not a brother, a close friend. Her _best_ friend, she reminded herself. But did that really matter anymore? All she saw as she stared into that chamber was the boy who had essentially banished her from his life.

Kim turned her head to look at Dr. Director. The woman had strong-armed her into doing her will earlier. She not only commanded authority, she _de_manded it. Was this really the sort of leader she wanted to follow? In her heart Kim knew the answer: no.

Being an agent of GJ was nothing like Kim had expected it to be. She had all these heroic ideals floating around in her head; fueled no doubt by those comic books Ron always had lying around that she had taken to reading with him on occasion, as well as her moral upbringing courtesy of her righteous parents. She expected heroes when she entered this program; instead she was confronted with a sea of moral dilemmas. There were shades of gray everywhere she looked now. This wasn't something she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

But it was all she had now. Ron had already made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. Then again, that wouldn't have happened if she hadn't signed up for this job in the first place. Still, her path had already been chosen. Where else was she supposed to go?

She supposed she could try and smooth things over with Ron, but that still left the problem of getting him out of here without incurring Dr. Director's wrath, which was legendary. Not to mention she may have just permanently damaged their friendship, in which case she should probably just heed the one-eyed woman's advice and forget she ever knew the boy who had always been there for her. Who had never judged her. Who had placed her on a pedestal and refused to accept that anything was wrong with her.

Kim blinked, trying to fight back the hot tears that stung her eyelids as she thought of how badly she'd screwed this up. '_Great, Possible, just great. The only person who's ever liked you for being a basic average girl instead of a teen hero is about to get freakin' crucified, and you're just gonna sit and watch? Anything's possible for you, especially taking the people who care about you for granted. You're the one who should die, not him. He never did anything wrong. You just dragged him into your mess. Hero indeed._"

Her reverie was broken when she noticed that the voice that had just berated her sounded an awful lot like Shego.

Which reminded her: there was still that little revenge plot she needed to worry about once all this was over.

Shaking her head, she returned to her earlier train of thought. Maybe she should just let this happen to Ron. Maybe she wasn't meant to have anything good in her life. Maybe being a hero was all about sacrifice. It was dark, she knew, but what other options did she have?

None. For once, she couldn't do anything to resolve the sitch. She was a prisoner of her own device. She had done this to herself.

While Kim stewed in her own self-doubt, Dr. Director's hand slowly came down to a lever which controlled the device that held the Eye. Without even a phrase by which to commemorate the moment, she pulled it.

* * *

Across the void, a presence that had slumbered for untold millennia awakened suddenly. It knew no such thing as time, waiting patiently to be called upon by a master that did not know it existed. The presence did not care that its master was oblivious to it; it was not capable of emotion. 

The presence cared about one thing—its continued existence. Now, as a rival force pulled against it, the presence began to fight back.

But it was losing.

* * *

An inhuman howl escaped Ron's throat as a voice, not his own, screeched in terror. It sounded simian in nature, the result of his monkey power resisting the Eye of Hanuman's attempt to siphon it from its master's body. His body seized and convulsed, and foam gathered at the corners of his mouth. The process was quite literally killing him. 

It wasn't the Eye's fault. In an attempt to preserve itself, the monkey power had attempted to seal up Ron's body, stopping his breathing and closing off his pores. But it continued to drain out of him at an alarming rate.

Something had to be done. And quick.

Suddenly, in a timing usually reserved for miracles and last-second saves, a green bolt lanced down from the heavens, striking the jewel that was the source of Ron's agony and shattering it into a million pieces. Instantly the power drain ceased, and the monkey power rushed back into its host, slamming into his body like a football to the chest and causing him to fly back, breaking the chains in the process. He lay sprawled on the floor, utterly exhausted from the ordeal.

His rescuer, on the other hand, was just getting started. "And here I thought, 'Law is mind without reason' was just a dumb quote by Aristotle," quipped Shego as she dropped down from her perch to land beside Ron. "But you guys really _don't_think about the ethical ramifications of anything, do you?"

"Your keen insight into a dead man's words is amusing, Shego," Dr. Director said dryly, standing to her feet. "But you don't think anything through either. How are you going to escape from here?"

Shego smirked. "You must have me mistaken with one of those villains who monologues," she remarked snidely. "Sorry Bets, I'm just here for monkey boy." She hoisted an unconscious Ron up over her shoulder. "Chat with ya later," she said before firing a blast directly into the floor, creating a massive hole. She wasted no time in jumping in.

Betty stood there fuming for a moment before opening her mouth and giving the order: "GET THEM!"


	6. The Great Escape

**Chapter 5**  
The Great Escape

The mounted video camera is a novel feature in any sort of security network. It allows one to observe activity without having to be there in person, in addition to recording said activity so that it can be reviewed later on. It saves time and resources.

It also, on occasion, captures moments that are truly spectacular; the kinds of moments one sees only in movies or video games. Moments that cause the jaws of everyone who witnesses them to fall to the floor.

This was one of those moments.

Green light swelled around the door before exploding outward, taking the sheet of metal with it. The now useless barrier tumbled down the hallway before crashing against the wall at the other end. The loud_ CLANG!_ it made as it dropped to the floor served as the entrance cue for the one who had quite literally blown it off its hinges.

Shego stormed through the now empty doorway, carrying an unconscious Ron Stoppable on her shoulders. While the boy's admittedly light frame would have slowed even the most determined of rescuers, the superhuman strength afforded by her powers was more than enough to offset the added weight.

This did not make the experience of carrying him any more pleasant, however.

"This is why I let Kimmie do the hero thing," she grumbled while continuing to dash along at an astonishing pace. "I'm much better at getting in and out of places by myself than I am at rescue missions."

Still, she was in too deep to back out now. This fact was reinforced by the squad of six Global Justice agents that confronted her as she rounded a corner.

"Stop right there!"

She did as instructed, pausing only long enough to set Ron's still unconscious body carefully on the floor. No need to damage Monty's prize.

"And then what?" she quipped before encasing her hands in green fire.

"Emergency Maneuver Delta!" one of the agents screamed. "Look out for the—" A plasma bolt to the chest cut off the rest of his sentence.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to go with _doy_," Shego snapped, turning to eye each of her prey hungrily. The men gulped.

Before another agent could belt out any coded orders, Shego rushed the man closest to her, swiping at his head. The man shrieked like a little girl and attempted to cover his face with his arms, only to get sucker-punched in the gut while his guard was down. While his hands went to clutch his injured belly, Shego clocked him in the face with a roundhouse kick, knocking him out cold.

Shego grinned demonically at the four remaining "men," who all cowered like sissies when she charged them. A knee to the crotch took care of the first coward, while a dual neck-chop incapacitated the second and third. One left.

"P-please don't hurt me," the terrified agent pleaded. "I'll do anything!"

"Like tell me exactly where all the guard patrols are so I can avoid the annoyance of having to watch grown men cry like little girls?"

"Uh… hold on a second," the man said, digging around in his pockets. Shego, who knew for a fact that grunt-level GJ agents didn't carry side-arms, wasn't worried about the guy pulling a piece on her. After a few seconds, he produced a PDA-like device. It looked familiar to Shego. Almost like….

"Where the hell did you get a Kimmunicator?"

"Well, apparently R&D couldn't find any way to improve the base model, so they just copied the design," the agent informed her. "They were thinking of issuing wrist-units next month."

"Interesting," Shego said. "So what the hell is it for?"

The agent pressed a button, bringing up a map with several dots. "The blue dots are the lowest level agents," he explained. "Green dots are elite agents, while yellow dots are senior officers. The orange dot is top agent Will Du, while the red dot is Dr. Director herself."

"What about Kimmie?"

"Possible? She doesn't have one of these. Only official GJ agents carry them. She's still in training."

"I see. So how does it work? Are all you guys chipped or what?"

"No, the Kimmunicators are. The dots are where the _devices_ are located, not the people themselves."

"Meaning that even if one of these gets destroyed, the person holding it might not have," mused Shego. "You've been a big help. But you know I'm gonna have to knock you out to make sure you don't squeal, right?"

The agent nodded. "Just don't hurt me too much."

"I won't leave anything worse than a bruise," Shego promised before delivering a swift chop to the back of the neck, rendering the agent unconscious.

"C'mon, Stoppable, let's go," she ordered, marching over to the limp, unconscious teenager and hoisting him onto her shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

'_Time to get out of here_,' she thought.

* * *

"DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!" Dr. Director bellowed into her Kimmunicator. "I want all agents on full alert! If you can't stop Shego, slow her down while the other squads get into position! We are on Code Red! I repeat, Code Red!" 

She turned to Kim, who sat motionless in the chair next to her, staring straight ahead. "Let's get going!" she ordered. "Now is your chance to show me how devoted you are to Global Justice!"

If Kim heard the remark, she didn't show it. She just kept staring.

"Agent Possible!"

"I'm not an agent," Kim replied in a subdued tone, still refusing to make eye contact with the director. "You told me I couldn't become an agent until I turned eighteen."

"What the hell does that have to do with any of this?!" Dr. Director yelled. "The prisoner is escaping!"

"His name is Ron," she corrected. "And he's not a prisoner. In fact he was perfectly willing to let you do whatever you wanted to him as long as it got him out of this sitch."

She turned her head to face the one-eyed brunette "You lied," she said.

"Lied about _what_?!"

"About everything. You told me that being an agent didn't mean having to give up my life. You said that it would allow me to help those who needed it. And just now you told Ron that you would stop the power drain if anything bad started happening. But you didn't."

Now it was Dr. Director's turn to stare in shock. Kim stood up.

"I sold you my soul," she accused as she began to walk towards her. "I trusted you. And you took everything away from me. So I don't care if you lose something that's important to you. Maybe then you'll know how I feel."

"Miss Possible, I order you to stop this insubordination!"

Kim laughed. "I don't take orders from you anymore."

Dr. Director began to walk backwards as Kim advanced. There was something different about her…. Something in her eyes….

"Miss Possible, I don't wish to use force, but I _will_ defend myself if necessary."

"Go ahead. I'd like to see what you've got."

Something about the way the light caught her eyes made Kim appear… different. There was a look in her olive green orbs that was almost predatory. The unholy grin on her face didn't do much to dissolve the notion that Kim was borderline psychotic at the moment either.

She gulped as her heart fell deeper into her chest.

"I'm warning you, Miss Possible." Dr. Director's voice quavered as her hand went to her watch. "I am not one to trifle with."

"Well I'm trifling with you anyway. Come and get it, coward."

The leader of GJ raised her right arm in the air, pointing her watch at Kim. "One more step, and I swear I'll—"

"You'll what?" Kim sneered as she took another step.

Before Dr. Director could press the button, Kim struck with lightning speed, kicking her hands aside. She then rushed forward, clutching the older woman's throat in her hand and pinning her against the wall. From the pouch on her leg she pulled out her hairdryer grappling hook. She pressed it against Dr. Director's left temple.

"This thing might not move as fast as a bullet but it'll still go right through your head at this close of range so I suggest you shut the hell up," she threatened. Dr. Director pressed her lips tight together in response. Kim smirked.

"Do you wanna know the reason I've put up with your abuse this long? Do you wanna know what stopped me from doing this the moment I found out that I'd gotten more than I bargained for when I signed on with your organization?"

"Miss Possible, I—"

"SHUT UP!" Kim roared, pressing the grapple harder against the side of the director's face. "I'm _through_ listening to you talk! _You're_ gonna listen to _me _for once!"

They stared at each other for several tense moments before Kim spoke again. "I stopped myself from fighting back before because I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought that the ends would justify the means. But now I've learned that the only end to this is your own personal glory. I can honestly say I don't want to go along with that."

"Kimberly, if you don't release me THIS INSTANT, I swear I'll—"

"YOU CAN'T DO SHIT TO ME!" Kim screamed. "You've already taken everything away from me! You took away my INNOCENCE, you took away my LIFE, and now you've taken away RON! There's nothing left for you to TAKE!" She pressed the grapple so hard against the woman's face that it actually drew blood. Her finger tightened around the trigger.

"You won't really kill me," Dr. Director stated firmly. "That's not who you are."

Kim just glared. Silence filled the room, save for the deep, measured breathing of its two occupants.

"You have no idea who I am," Kim said finally.

Before Dr. Director knew what was happening, Kim pulled the grapple away from the side of her head and pressed it against her shoulder. One squeeze of the trigger was all it took to activate the pneumatic cannon loaded with several thousand pounds of pressure that belied its diminutive size. The grapple streaked through her, pushing aside her muscles and tendons and exiting on the other side, where it embedded itself in the hard concrete wall.

It only took a fraction of a second, but to Dr. Director everything moved in slow motion. She could _feel_ the three-pronged hook pierce her flesh, sliding through her easily and tugging the high-tensile wire behind it. She felt an indescribable pain shudder through her entire body before escaping her mouth in a guttural scream.

Now pinned to the wall, she was unable to pursue Kim as the redhead tore off one of the protective coverings to the control panel, exposing the machinery underneath. She released the grapple line from her gun and shoved it between a couple of gears before standing up and facing the director.

"Where will you go, Kimberly?" the infuriated officer rasped, clutching her shoulder where the grapple had pierced it. "You can't go back to being a hero! Not after this!"

Kim gripped a lever on the control panel that was connected to the gears between which one end of the grapple line was currently wedged. "Who says I am?" she sneered before pulling it.

Dr. Director howled in agony as the gears began to pull on the titanium wire attached to her. While anyone else would have panicked, her sharp, practiced mind allowed her to analyze the situation despite the blinding pain.

The grapple had a pretty solid grip on the wall. The gears would eventually pull it out, but the force it required was substantial enough that it would be like stretching a rubber band to its limit and then letting go of one of the ends. She wouldn't be trapped anymore, but it was quite probable that the grapple would take more than just chunks of the wall with it.

She grit her teeth. So be it. It wasn't like she wasn't already missing an appendage. Besides, they were doing some wonderful things with cybertronics these days. She would just have to suck it up and deal with it.

Kim was wise enough not to stick around for the show. As the door hissed shut behind her, she heard a sickening _POP!_ and what sounded like a zipper being pulled, followed by a deafening explosion.

* * *

A distant echo rumbled through her mind, growing in intensity until it reached a fever pitch. A thunderous blast soon followed, shaking the walls of her skull and rattling her awake. 

She sat up slowly, massaging her temples in an attempt to ease her sudden headache. When coherent thought returned to her, there was only one question on her mind.

'_Where am I?_'

She rubbed her eyes, trying to focus. How long had she been here? Where _was _here? The last thing she remembered was….

'_Kimmie…. Oh no…._'

Wiping the moisture from her eyes, she blinked several times before her sight returned.

The first thing she noticed was the ceiling. It wasn't very high. If she had to estimate, she would say that it was about seven feet up. Still more than enough room for her to stand, but close enough to her head to make her feel somewhat claustrophobic.

The overall area of the room didn't make her feel any more comfortable either. It was large enough for two beds, one for her and the other for her apparent cellmate, who slumbered beneath the threadbare sheets. There was also a toilet and a sink. In place of a window, there was a halogen light overhead that illuminated the cell.

'_I must be in prison,_' she decided. '_But why? I've never done anything wrong. Why would they do this to me?_'

She resolved to ponder that question later as her cellmate was shifting uncomfortably in the bed across from her. Placing her bare feet on the icy concrete floor, she tiptoed over to the other bed and pulled back the covers.

She gasped. "Rebecca?"

The short-haired blonde was equally as surprised. "Anne?"

* * *

Given the bunker-like design of the labyrinth that comprised GJ's underground headquarters, Shego was only vaguely aware that a massive explosion had just taken place. The only real indication that something had happened came from the Kimmunicator she had obtained earlier. 

'_Hey, where'd the red dot go? I thought that was Dr. Director? Did something happen to her?_'

Shego knew better than to underestimate a woman as crafty as Betty Director, but she also knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth. If she saw Dr. Director's blip disappear, then so did the rest of GJ. There was no way that she could pull a stunt like that to take herself off the radar without plunging her entire organization into panic. She was too much of a control freak to allow that. Which meant that something must have happened to her for real.

'_This'll throw their ranks into chaos while they try and figure out what happened,_' she mused, grinning widely. '_And chaos is one of those things I can use to my advantage._"

With that in mind, she pocketed the Kimmunicator and crept along as stealthily as she could considering the 160 pound body on her back that amounted to little more than a sack of potatoes for as long as he was unconscious. Thankfully she had been able to avoid the guard patrols so far, but unless Ron woke up, and soon, she wasn't sure just how much longer she was willing to drag him around before she ditched him, or at the very least drew some very nasty things on his face with a black magic marker.

As if reading her mind, the body on her back began to stir and moan loudly, forcing her to duck into one of the nearby—thankfully empty—rooms to avoid being spotted. Carefully, she laid him down on the large metal table that occupied the center of the lab she had just entered.

"Stoppable, keep it down!" she whispered harshly.

Ron groaned in response.

She placed her hand over his mouth to keep him quiet while a pair of guards passed the door outside. When the Kimmunicator showed them as being a safe distance away, she pulled her hand back and leaned closer over the boy.

"Stoppable, are you alright?" she inquired in a hushed tone.

"Mmmmmnnnnnggggppssshaaawwgh…."

"Uh, yeah, I don't speak gibberish so you're gonna have to—"

'_It hurts._'

"Wha?" Shego looked puzzled and whipped her head around, looking for the source of the voice. "Wait, are you doing the whole telepathy thing again?"

'_Yeah._'

"Okay…. So what hurts?"

'_Everything._'

"Oh,_ that's_ helpful," she snapped. "Whaddaya need me to do to stop it?"

'_Get me out of here._'

She sighed. "That's what I'm trying to do. Can you promise to keep it down in the meantime?"

'_I'll try._'

"That'll have to do. C'mon, then." She hoisted him back up onto her shoulders and, taking another look at the map on the Kimmunicator, exited the room.

* * *

"Rebecca, what are you doing here?" 

Sitting up slowly, Rebecca Stoppable placed her hands on the sides of her head. "I… I don't know. The last thing I remember, I was sleeping in my bed at home. Now I wake up and _you're_ here, and… and…." She started hyperventilating. "What the hell is going on?!"

Anne returned to her bed and took a seat before replying. "I don't know either. I just woke up myself. Though I didn't have the liberty of being abducted in the night."

"What do you mean?"

Anne sighed and looked down. "Rebecca… I think we've been taken prisoner."

"By whom?"

She lowered her head further. "Global Justice."

"Who now?"

"You mean Ronald never told you about Kim's new internship?"

"No… that… never really came up. I guess it's because we've hardly seen anything of him lately. What's Global Justice?"

"As far as I know, they're a secret paramilitary organization who aren't affiliated with any known government. It allows them to work around any laws that might… inhibit other organizations."

"Such as imprisoning people who've done nothing wrong?"

"I'm afraid so. I can only hope that—"

"Psst!"

Both women simultaneously turned their heads towards the sound. A barred door that had thus far escaped their attention enabled them to see its source.

"James?"

"Elliot?"

"What are you doing here?!" the two women exclaimed in unison.

"Jinx! You owe me a soda!" Anne said without thinking. Rebecca turned to her with a bewildered expression.

"It's a game Kimmie-cub plays," James explained from the other cell. "Whenever two people say the same thing at the same time, the first one to say 'jinx' wins."

"What he said."

Rebecca shook her head. "Whatever. What are the two of you doing over there?"

"Apparently sharing a cell, same as you two. I have to say I agree with Anne. I always thought something wasn't right with GJ."

"You mean besides the fact that they stole the initials for your 'GloboJet?'" Anne deadpanned.

"Exactly, Honey. I still haven't forgiven them for that, by the way."

"James, that was years ago."

"I still say that a high-speed aircraft capable of staying in the air indefinitely due to its use of fusion technology rather than traditional fuel is more deserving of the initials 'GJ.'"

"It exploded over Southeast Asia and created an EMP that caused a rolling blackout in three countries."

"A minor setback. Besides, it's not like the twins haven't done worse."

"Hey! We're right here!" a pair of high pitched voices called from the cell next to the men.

"Jim! Tim! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine, Mom."

"But the matching jumpsuits make it even harder to tell us apart."

"It's so cool!" they said together.

"I don't see what's so 'cool' about being wrongfully imprisoned," James opined.

"Because it gives us a chance to make a totally awesome escape!" explained one of the twins.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

Everybody turned to look at the new arrival, who was standing in the space between their cells.

"I know you…." Anne started. "You're—"

"Top Agent Will Du, Ma'am. I apologize about our last meeting. Please understand that I was only following orders."

She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just like Kimmie was, I'll bet. What did Dr. Director do to her?"

"More important is what your daughter just did to Dr. Director. Namely murdered her."

Anne gaffed. "Kimmie would never kill someone!"

"How well do you really know your daughter, Dr. Possible?"

"I know her a hell of a lot better than you, you… lapdog!"

Agent Du chuckled a bit at the remark. "And yet you were unable to foresee this."

"Why the hell are you here, tormenting us like this?" Anne spat. "Isn't it enough that you've imprisoned us when we've done nothing wrong?"

"Dr. Possible, I am only following orders. This was a precaution so that in the event that Kimberly Anne Possible decided to turn against Global Justice, her family would be punished for her betrayal."

"So we're just blackmail?!"

"That sums it up nicely, yes."

She looked at each of the Stoppables, then back at Will. "What about them? Why are they here if all you need is us?"

"It's no different. Ronald came to us in a somewhat less… willing manner than Kimberly. We needed something to hold over him as well."

Anne just huffed before sitting down "And what happens now? What's our punishment?"

"For now? Living with the disappointment of your children becoming criminals. Our research indicates that there are few worse ordeals for parents to face."

James simply scoffed. "As long as Kimmie-cub isn't running around with some boy, I have no problem with the decisions she makes."

Will smirked. "And just how do you know that she's not?"

He didn't have an answer to that.

Fortunately, his wife did. "Because we know Kimmie better than that. She may be going through a psychopathic, murderous phase right now, but if there's one thing we've taught her, it's not to be sexually promiscuous."

"Is that what you call Kimberly's behavior? A 'phase?' Your child assassinated the leader of an agency whose sole purpose is to find and eliminate criminals. That's not something you can just grow out of."

Anne just glared.

"What exactly did you need our son Ronald for?" Elliot Stoppable suddenly asked. "He's done nothing wrong. And surely he has nothing of value to you."

Will smiled. "As ill-informed as the Possibles are about their child, I must say that it's truly entertaining to see such ignorance from the people who supposedly raised Ron Stoppable, Monkey Master."

"What's all this about monkeys now?" asked Rebecca. "Ronald's terrified of monkeys! What did you do to him?!"

"Nothing he wasn't willing to let us do," Will answered. "It is unfortunate that his powers were not so cooperative. Or perhaps, they were just more courageous than he'll ever be."

"What powers are you talking about?" Elliot demanded to know.

"I'll let the Possibles give you the details," Agent Du replied, suddenly bored. He turned around and started walking away "Right now I've got to go catch Shego before she escapes with your son," he said right before the doors hissed shut behind him.

"So what was that he said about our son having powers?" Mr. Stoppable spoke up once the agent had left.

The Drs. Possible exchanged a glance. Anne spoke first. "Well, it all started when Ron went on a mission with Kimmie-cub to recover an artifact for Lord Montgomery Fiske…."

* * *

_THOCK! BAM!_

The sound of two objects impacting solidly against the other side of the thick metal door was enough to rouse the sleeping Dr. Drakken, who sat up in a fright and clutched his blanket close to him, his whole body quaking.

There was a cobra-like hiss and bright light invaded the room, stinging his eyes and forcing him to shield them with a tiny cerulean hand. Squinting, he could barely make out the black and red blur that descended upon him and snatched him upright.

"LET'S GO!" Kim bellowed before yanking him out into the hall.

"Is it time to escape already?" Drakken whined while rubbing his eyes. "Usually I like to get a full eight hours of sleep before—"

"SHUT UP AND MOVE!"

He winced as she dug her claws into his hand and took off down the hall, dragging him behind her.

"Couldn't we have planned this? I just saw you a few hours ago…."

Kim growled like a terrier while she burrowed her eyes into him, causing Drakken to shrink back in fear. As much as he could while running, anyway.

Swiveling her head back to its original position, Kim caught sight of two agents headed in their direction. She released Drakken's hand and leaped forward, knocking one agent into a wall by kicking off of his helmet and flooring the other with a flying roundhouse. She turned as she landed, planting her boot in the gut of a third agent who had been just around the corner from the first two. She finished him off with a high kick to his chin.

She ran back to where she had left Dr. Drakken, who cowered in fear as he thought he was next on the list of people to be maimed. Kim ignored this and simply grabbed his hand, pulling him off towards a destination known only to her.

"Could we possibly slow down and talk about this?" he pleaded. "Where are we going?"

Kim's reaction was a unique mixture of stoic and savage as she said nothing but turned around to glare at him fiercely. He wisely stopped talking.

"THERE SHE IS!"

Contrary to popular belief, GJ was not above carrying firearms. They just didn't issue them to entry level agents. The four elite agents ahead were more than willing to put several holes in high priority threats with the MP5 submachine guns they carried.

Kim was not ready to be swiss-cheesed just yet, though. She fired her grapple at the thin duct cover above, then activated it and launched herself into their midst. Being surrounded actually worked in her favor at the moment as none of the men could fire their weapons without running the risk of hitting one of their squad-mates. Kim did not have that problem, and freely took advantage of the opportunity to kick, punch, and elbow the men into submission.

She ran back to Drakken, who stood there in a catatonic state.

"COME ON!" she hollered before grabbing his wrist and stampeding down the hall.

* * *

Shego thanked whatever deities were watching that GJ had been stupid enough to spring for ridiculously oversized air vents that were sturdy enough to support way more than ordinary square tubes of flimsy metal did. She supposed it was probably part of their evacuation plan should the facility ever be invaded. Though considering the fact that invaders would most likely take that route _into_ the underground labyrinth, it didn't make much sense. Until she considered that the people at GJ were a bunch of morons. 

Still, she couldn't fault them for providing her with a perfect escape. She crept on her hands and knees through the extravagantly spacious air vent, dragging Stoppable behind her. While he had regained consciousness at this point, mobility was still an issue.

"You okay back there?"

'_I'm fine. How much longer till we get out of here?_'

"Half hour at the most. Depends on how many more patrols we have to avoid." She pulled out the Kimmunicator and checked it again. "Looks like we're coming up on a squad of four elites. They've got guns, and while this air vent is capable of holding us, it won't stop bullets. So try not to make any noise."

'_Gotcha._'

She was about to move again when she heard a small discharge of air below her.

'_What the…._'

_KSHANK!_

A silver streak rushed past Shego's vision, and she quickly scurried back to avoid its inevitable return. Once she was a safe distance away she was able to make out exactly what it was. It looked like somebody had welded three fish hooks together and attached them to a bridge cable. In fact, it looked an awful lot like….

'_A grappling hook…_' she realized. '_But who…?_'

Her question was answered when a sudden tug on the grapple shredded the metal beneath her, providing her with a peephole. She saw a black and red streak land in the middle of the four agents she'd seen on the Kimmunicator screen, then proceed to beat them senseless. When the blur stopped moving, Shego was able to identify her.

"Kimmie?"

"COME ON!" She rushed back to where she had presumably started, then ran in the direction of the felled agents dragging someone behind her. Shego only caught a brief glance, but that was all she needed.

"_Drakken_?!" she nearly shrieked, but thankfully caught herself before she gave away her position.

'_This just got interesting,_' she mused before lighting her hands.

"LET'S GO, STOPPABLE!" she yelled before melting the bottom of the vent out from under them.

* * *

"So you're saying our son has some kind of mystical monkey power?" Elliot Stoppable summarized. 

Anne nodded.

"Why didn't he tell us before?"

"I suppose _this_ could be his way of telling you," James offered. He chuckled slightly at the remark.

Everyone stared at him like he had just grown a second head that was speaking French.

"What's so funny?" Anne finally asked.

"Oh, nothing," he said, running a hand through his hair and looking at the ceiling.

Rebecca shook her head. "Whatever. What happens now? That agent said something about a woman named Shego." She looked at Anne. "At least I assume Shego is a she."

"She is," Anne confirmed.

"Who is she?"

"Kimmie's rival."

"I thought that was that one brunette girl, Bonnie."

"No, Bonnie was just her high school rival," Tim chimed in.

"Yeah, Shego was basically her evil twin," added Jim.

"Only a lot paler."

"And taller."

"And with darker hair."

"Not to mention bigger—"

"Jim! Tim! Do I have to put you two in time-out?"

"Aw, mom!" Jim whined, "We're already in prison."

"Your mother's right, boys," said James. "You shouldn't be talking about that kind of stuff when we have company."

"Or ever, for that matter," Anne finished.

"But they're not company! They were kidnapped just like us!"

"That still doesn't mean you should—"

As the Possibles continued their argument, Rebecca widened her eyes at Elliot, as if to say, '_Why did we let Ronald spend so much time with these people?_'

Elliot shrugged.

"ENOUGH!" Rebecca shouted. All eyes were suddenly on her. "What?" she asked.

"Usually when someone says 'enough,' they're supposed to say something afterwards," James supplied.

"Oh, I didn't really have anything to say. I just wanted you all to stop arguing so I could try and get back to sleep. It's been a long day."

"I think that's a good idea," agreed Anne. "Let's all just stop talking and go to sleep. Someone will rescue us."

"I guess you're right."

"Yeah, I am a little pooped."

"Can we talk about that stuff if we whisper?"

"No, Jim!"

"Aw, mom! You never let us do anything fun!"

"I don't care. Now be quiet and go to bed."

Jim crossed his arms and grumbled. "Fine."

Elsewhere, in a room whose only light was provided by the ghostly security monitors, a particularly impressionable young agent had gotten so wrapped up in the dialogue coming from one of the cellblocks that he had forgotten the woman with red hair was not speaking to him when she ordered everyone to go to sleep. Sleep sounded like a good idea anyway, given that he'd been here for twenty seven hours and hadn't had more than two cups of coffee. So he leaned back in his chair and dozed off.

As such, he missed the image of a red-haired woman half-leading half-dragging a man with blue skin and a lab coat down one of the hallways. He was also unfortunate enough to completely miss a woman clad in green and black carrying a blond boy on her shoulders rushing down the same stretch of hallway only seconds later.

* * *

Charging through the hallways like they were the streets of Pamplona, Shego pursued her enemy with a singular intent. Any agents unlucky enough to cross her path were swatted away like flies. At last she got within range of her adversary and bellowed her name like a call of war. 

"POSSIBLE!"

Kim stopped her own mad dash through the hallway and turned to face her pursuer. She grinned.

"Shego," she sneered, releasing the hand of her companion while Shego gently set Ron on the ground. "What a surprise."

For the second time that day, Shego noticed Drakken standing at Kim's side. "Looks like we traded buffoons," she remarked. "You got ripped off."

"At least mine's smarter."

"At least mine can fight."

Kim looked over to where Ron's limp body lay propped against a wall. "Oh, he's a killer alright."

"He must've been somewhat useful for you to stick with him all those years. Too bad you never realized what a bargain you got for such incredible talent."

"And why the hell did you stick with Blueberry over here?" she countered. "For the benefits?"

"The dental _is_ outstanding," Shego remarked offhand as she cupped her chin. "But he's lacking in the common sense department. Sorta like you."

"What?!"

"Oh come _on_! You're telling me you don't rush into things without thinking them through first?"

"As a matter of fact I _do_ think things through."

"Then why the hell are you running _away _from GJ when you're supposed to be one of them?!"

Kim sighed. "Okay, so maybe I'm a little impulsive. What the hell's your point?"

"Nothing, just thought it was interesting. Especially since you're such a coward when it comes to your social life."

"Oh, and I suppose _you're_ the expert on making friends!"

By this time Drakken had tiptoed over to Ron and sat down beside him, watching the two women argue. "How do you suppose we got roped into this?" he asked.

"We're cowards?" Ron suggested.

"Tell me about it."

"Are we just gonna stand here and talk all day?!"

"I'm ready if you are, Miss Priss!"

"Ooh, that was a nasty one," Drakken remarked.

Ron raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose you could say I was somewhat… sheltered as a child."

"I hadn't noticed," deadpanned Ron.

Kim streaked forward and launched a flying kick at Shego, who stepped to the side. Landing on one foot, she pivoted and attacked with a reverse roundhouse kick, which the pale woman deftly blocked with a raised forearm.

Separating, Shego struck at Kim with a spinning backhand, which the redhead ducked. She continued her momentum from the spin and raised her right leg high in the air, stopping it above Kim and bringing it crashing down. The teen was ready for that, however, and met Shego's calf with a combination of her hands and left shoulder, trapping the older woman's leg in her embrace.

Snared but not quite subdued, Shego used her free leg to kick at Kim's knees, which succeeded in dropping both of them to the ground. They rolled across the floor, fighting for dominance.

"Ever notice how often they end up in that position?" Drakken commented idly while he and Ron watched the two women wrestle for control.

"Yeah, it makes you wonder if they've got feelings for each other," Ron agreed.

"You think it's possible?"

They both watched as Kim pounded Shego repeatedly in the nose. "I HATE YOU!" she screeched before Shego countered with a right hook and rolled them over so that she was on top.

"Maybe in an alternate universe," said Ron.

They finally separated and Shego rolled to her feet, hands lit. Kim stood slowly, running an arm across her chin. She spat a disgusting mixture of blood and saliva onto the hard granite tile of the hallway.

"The feeling's mutual, Princess," said Shego as they began to circle each other. Kim rushed forward, arcing her right leg away from her body in a high kick. Drawing her arms close to her torso, Shego spun away from the attack. Kim continued the momentum of her kick and struck out with a spinning backhand, which Shego caught. Her left fist followed, but Shego encased that in her palm as well.

"Why doesn't she just light up?" Ron wondered aloud. "That would end the fight right there."

"I think you just answered your own question," replied Drakken.

"Yeah, they do seem to enjoy fighting each other."

"But not because they like each other," Drakken reminded him.

Kim broke the stalemate by bashing her forehead into Shego's, forcing them apart. "Bitch!" she cursed.

"Yeah. Definitely not because they like each other."

They were about to begin another round when the sudden clapping of boots against the hard granite floor interrupted them.

"FREEZE!"

They were pinned on both sides by two squads of elite agents, eight in total. Two guns were trained on each of them, forcing all of them to remain still. Not that this was much of a problem for Ron.

"He's coming," the blond said as his eyes glowed blue.

"Who?" Drakken asked.

"Kimberly Anne Possible, Ronald Adrian Stoppable, Drew Theodore Perceval Lipsky, and Shego, you are all under arrest for resisting GJ custody," Will Du said from his position behind one of the squads. "Kimberly, you are under arrest for the murder of Dr. Elizabeth Director, Commander in Chief of Global Justice. I order all of you to cease and desist at once or—"

"Oh give it a rest, will you?"

Will turned around. "Who said tha—"

_THOCK!_

A fist impacted solidly against his jaw and he sailed through the air, landing hard on his back, unconscious. All eyes turned to look at his attacker. Or rather, where his attacker had just been.

"Where the hell did he go?"

A primal shriek split the ears of everyone in the immediate vicinity, including the agents, who dropped their guns.

With barely a sound, a man clad in all black dropped to the floor, his arm stretched out in front of him. "Monkey ninjas, ATTACK!" he yelled.

Where the hall had been empty just moments ago, it was now filled with over a dozen monkeys clad in _Shinobi Shozoku _and carrying an assortment of weapons, coming from both directions. The terrified agents barely had enough time to reach for their guns before the swarm overwhelmed them, tackling them to the ground and keeping them occupied while Monkey Fist dashed over to Ron, hoisting the boy onto his shoulders.

"Time to leave, Shego!" he shouted before digging into a pouch on his hip and producing a small pellet, which he threw to the ground, filling the hall with smoke. When it cleared, only the fallen Global Justice agents remained.

* * *

Outside, Monkey Fist debriefed Shego while he loaded Ron onto the jet. 

"Why did you try and face down Possible?" he demanded, climbing in and sitting down in the rear seat. "That wasn't part of the plan!"

"Neither was her springing Dr. D," retorted Shego as she lifted Ron up to Monkey Fist's hands. "I wanted to stop her then and there before she had a chance to enact whatever crazy plan the two of them cooked up."

"Really?" Monkey Fist asked skeptically, setting the unconscious Ron on his lap and fastening the safety harness around both of them.

Shego deflated. "Okay, fine, so I missed the thrill of fighting her. I wanted to pound her face in after all I had to go through to get this far."

"Just don't make a habit of it," the monkey master warned. "I don't want to have to bail you out like that again."

"Oh please, you just wanted the chance to say, 'Monkey ninjas, attack!'"

"It is rather fun to say," he admitted. "But I expect you to be more professional from here on out."

"Fine, whatever," the pale woman agreed with a shrug. "Let's just get outta here."

"Agreed."

"Where are we going, anyway?"

"London," Monkey Fist announced. "I've had enough of America."

"I hate to say it, but so have I," Shego agreed, climbing into the cockpit. "Let's go."


End file.
